Suspect Arrested For 2 Lakeland Store Robberies: Sheriff

POLK COUNTY, FL — A suspect who is accused of robbing two Lakeland area convenience stores was arrested while robbing the second one on Saturday, Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Forty-two-year-old Antonio Welch robbed a clerk at 7-Eleven, 851 South Florida Ave, at about 10:23 p.m. Investigators said a police officer who was outside in the parking lot at a traffic spot. Someone saw the suspect armed with a knife as he was on top of the clerk behind the counter, and told the deputy. Welch was quickly arrested.

Deputies with the sheriff's office who were in the area at the time heard the suspect description of the suspect and realized it matched the description of a suspect who robbed the Kangaroo, 2100 West Memorial Blvd., on Feb. 9.

Detectives from both agencies interviewed Welch at Lakeland Police Department headquarters, and he admitted to committing both robberies, and assaulting both clerks.

"The cooperation and swift response by every agency in our county is what makes Polk one of the safest places to live in Florida," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "We're especially grateful to the citizen who saw something and said something. This dangerous, violent felon was caught before he could commit any more violent crimes, and hopefully he will go to prison for a very long time."

Welch faces the following charges from Lakeland Police Department

• Armed robbery
• False imprisonment
• Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
• Possession of cocaine
• Possession of paraphernalia

Welch has been charged by PCSO with:

• Armed robbery
• Armed burglary with assault