Apple Peddler robbed at gunpoint

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November 20, 2009

By Anita Burke

Mail Tribune

The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is investigating what detectives described as an unusually violent robbery at a 24-hour restaurant in White City Wednesday night.

No one was injured in the robbery, reported at about 11:30 p.m. at the Apple Peddler Restaurant at 7405 Highway 62 in White City, sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan said.

A white man who wore a green nylon windbreaker with a hood pulled tight around his head, partly obscuring his face, came in to the restaurant carrying a pump-style shotgun, Fagan said.

"This level of violence, where he actually displayed a shotgun, is unusual," he said, noting that the type of shotgun also was rarely seen.

More often in robberies, suspects carry a handgun or even just claim to have a weapon but don't show it, he said.

The robber ordered a cook and waitress onto the floor behind the counter. He banged the gun against the counter and pointed it at the employees, demanding money from the cash register. Two customers were playing video lottery machines in another part of the restaurant and one of them heard the commotion, slipped out a back door and ran to a neighboring business to call 9-1-1, Fagan said.

The robber left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Peggy Laurine, general manager of the Apple Peddler, praised her workers who responded to the robber calmly to stay safe and those who came in to complete the shift so the robbery victims could go home.

"They're shook," she said.

She said the customers playing video poker weren't regulars whom she knew, but she was grateful for the man who had run across several parking lots to reach a phone.

Investigators suspect that a get-away driver or other person also might be involved in the robbery, Fagan said.

Detectives worked Thursday to interview witnesses and collect surveillance video from the restaurant and neighboring businesses. They also are looking for similar cases elsewhere, especially along the Interstate 5 corridor.

The robber was described as between 20 and 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 1 inch tall, likely weighing between 165 and 185 pounds.

Investigators ask anyone who might have seen a suspicious vehicle in the area of highways 62 and 140 or have other information related to the case to call the sheriff's department tip line at 774-8333.

Reach Anita Burke at 776-4485 or aburke@mailtribune.com.

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