AN ARMED robber who stole cash from an IGA supermarket in Mount Gambier using a knife to threaten staff last Friday night is still on the loose as police continue to investigate the incident.
The robbery took place at around 7pm when a man wearing a black balaclava and armed with a knife entered a store on Swallow Drive and demanded cash.
Fortunately, no-one was injured in the incident and Mount Gambier police were quickly on the scene to start investigations.
Police confirmed yesterday the investigation was still continuing as they search for the suspect, described as Caucasian, 175cm tall, wearing a black and white jacket, light coloured pants and a balaclava.
The manager of the store was contacted by The Border Watch, but declined to comment while the investigation was ongoing.
“They haven’t caught him yet, so while the police investigation continues I will refrain from commenting on any of the details,” he said.
The latest incident came just a week after two other Mount Gambier men appeared in court for sentencing submissions over the armed robbery of a service station late last year.
Brett Andrew Jusup, 26, and Frederick Ronald Fenton, 28, appeared in the Mount Gambier District Court on June 8 after previously pleading guilty to a charge of committing theft using force for robbing a Penola Road service station on November 8 last year.
The court heard the robbers debated over covering their faces with bandannas before grabbing a hammer each from the boot of their car.
They entered the service station at around 1.20am, where Fenton went behind the counter and threatened the service station attendant with a hammer.
Jusup grabbed cigarettes from a counter before both men fled with $345 cash and cigarettes to the value of around $630.
Police arrested both men after reviewing security camera footage and finding forensic evidence at the scene.
Lawyers representing the defendants told the court, both were extremely ashamed of their actions and were ready to make a new start in life.
They have been behind bars since their arrest in November last year and will learn their fate next Wednesday when they appear again for sentencing.
Anyone with any information about Friday night’s robbery is asked to report online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
