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Robber used toy gun

Fake weapon brandished in Kum & Go robbery

Joshua Roberts

— An unknown male used a fake weapon during the armed robbery of a Kum & Go convenience store earlier this month, Craig Police Chief Walt Vanatta said.

“The clerk didn’t know that at the time,” he said Friday afternoon, “and it looked like a real gun.”

Police officers responded to the robbery at about 1:50 a.m. Sept. 26 at the Kum & Go, 700 E. Victory Way. The suspect was dressed in black clothing and wore a ski mask.



The man approached the store clerk, pointed what was believed to be a handgun at the clerk and demanded “all of the money from the cash register,” police reported.

Vanatta cited the robbery in the “crime of the month” section of his monthly police department report.



“Interestingly, the bad guy walked in to the store with his mask on, went to the bathroom, then came out and demanded money from the clerk,” the police chief wrote. “As it was cold outside, the clerk thought nothing of the ski mask, but on seeing the gun, the atmosphere changed. The suspect left the store, and officers later found where he had changed and left behind the ‘toy’ gun used in the incident.”

The clothing and fake gun were found a few blocks away, Vanatta said, later the same day.

An investigation into the robbery is continuing. Vanatta said officers are conducting interviews and following up on leads in the case.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery is to call the Craig Police Department at 826-2360 or CrimeStoppers at 824-3535.

Other items cited in the “crime of the month” section of the police report:

• Vanatta wrote that police and the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation into an adult female’s report of being abducted by several people. The woman reported that she was taken south of town and “beaten by several people.”

The alleged abduction was the apparent result of a previous altercation at a local bar with another female, Vanatta reported. Suspects have been identified, he wrote.

• The Sept. 13 fire at the 485 Washington St. apartment complex “displayed the working relationship found in Craig between different agencies,” the police chief reported. The fire displaced at least 11 families.

“Fire department personnel responded in their usual efficient and organized manner to fight a somewhat stubborn fire and the Craig Police Department personnel provided support during the incident,” Vanatta wrote. “The Red Cross and Victim’s Advocates were invaluable in working with the tenants left homeless by the fire.

“The community is fortunate to have such dedication by those responding to such emergencies.”

Joshua Roberts can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210, or jroberts@craigdailypress.com.


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