Suspect captured after daylight robbery at Hoffman Casey’s

Jake Sias

Grant County Herald

Saturday, Grant County Sheriff’s deputies and deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop in Ashby on a vehicle suspected to being used in the robbery at Casey’s store in Hoffman Thursday.

That traffic stop led to the arrest of the suspect in connection with Thursday’s robbery. The Grant County Herald was seeking the identity of the suspect as it went to press Monday. It was also seeking information on when the suspect would be formally charged in 8th Judicial District Court.

His arrest came after a two-day search involving multi-agency response. 

The robbery occurred at approximately 1:31 p.m. when a male suspect entered the Casey’s store and asked the clerk to exchange coins for dollar bills. As the clerk opened the register, the suspect made a move to grab the register tray. Despite the clerk’s efforts to prevent the theft, the suspect is alleged to have forcefully took money from the tray and fled the scene on foot.

Described as around 6 feet tall with a thin build, the suspect was last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded jacket, possibly black or dark blue with a white emblem on the chest area, dark pants, and white Nike tennis shoes. Notable features include a dark ring on his left hand and dark-colored wristbands or a watch on both wrists. The suspect’s pigeon-toed walk was also mentioned in the description provided by authorities. 

Further investigations led to the identification of a 1999-2004 Chrysler 300M, believed to be the suspect’s vehicle, noted for possible damage to its front driver’s side fender and left front quarter panel.

As sheriff’s deputies and the Minnesota State Patrol searched for the suspect in Hoffman, residents were asked to lock their doors and stay inside.

Thursday, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)  sent out a news release that they were seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect in a Casey’s store robbery.

Saturday evening, the BCA sent out a statewide news release stating that the suspect’s vehicle had been located and he was in custody. 

In a statement, Grant County Sheriff Jon Combs said that no weapons were used during the robbery and no injuries were reported. 

Combs highlighted the collaborative effort involving the Grant County, Douglas County, Pope County, Stevens County sheriffs’ offices, Minnesota State Patrol, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the West Central Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force in response to the emergency.

Combs commented on the quick responses of the additional agencies, stating, “We are fortunate that we have in outstate Minnesota that we have those resources available to us.” He continued saying, “These are agencies that we don’t have to ask for assistance. It’s an automatic response from these agencies. We have such a good working relationship that we can include the surrounding counties, that  it’s not ‘Do you want us to come over?’ It’s an automatic response by these agencies, doesn’t matter if it is a local or state agency, they say, ‘We’re on our way over. What do you need? Where do you need us?’”