Robbery Suspect Arrested, Linked To Woodbury, Newport Hold-Ups

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — A man who was arrested Thursday after a robbery earlier that morning in Newport is also suspected in two robberies in Woodbury over the past two weeks, police said.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies worked with Woodbury detectives after the early Thursday morning robbery at a Speedway convenience store to canvas the area, review surveillance footage and follow up on tips from residents.

The suspect, who police did not identify as of 9 a.m. Friday, was found and arrested Thursday, and he was taken to the Washington County Jail “in the same sweatshirt he was seen wearing” in surveillance footage from the Newport robbery earlier that day, according to the sheriff’s office.

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Police said they believe the man is also responsible for robbing a Speedway convenience store in Woodbury twice in less than a week .

An employee at a Speedway in the 6400 block of Lake Road Terrace called his manager just before 4 a.m. Jan. 4 to report the store was robbed at gunpoint about a half-hour prior to the call, Woodbury Police Commander John Altman told Patch.

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The employee later told police a man "lingered" in the store, left, then returned and approached the register with his hand near his waistline, Altman said.

The man then pulled out a black handgun, tapped it on the counter and told the employee to "give me everything” before running out of the store, according to police.

The same Speedway convenience store was robbed again around 12:25 a.m. Jan. 9, police said.

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The Woodbury Police Department released photos of the suspect, which elicited a tip. However, the tip was called into police in Woodbury, New Jersey, and the person did not leave any information for police to respond, Altman said.