Police Nab Elusive Exxon Store Robber
Water Valley Police Sgt. Spring Crenshaw (center) gathers evidence after arresting Kendrick Montreal Scott on Blackmur drive last week. Scott had evaded authorities for several weeks before he was apprehended on July 5. Numerous city officers and county deputies joined the hunt that lasted almost an hour.
A not-so-smart crook was captured last Wednesday after evading authorities for several weeks. Kendrick Montreal Scott of Water Valley allegedly robbed the Exxon store on Frostland Drive on June 19, telling the clerk he had a gun before exiting with cash and merchandise. Scott is charged with robbery, resisting arrest and possession of paraphernalia.
Chief A.J. Hernandez reported the investigative work didn’t take long, as soon as his officers arrived on the scene they were immediately able to determine the identity of their suspect.
“He left his wallet on the counter,” Hernandez told the Herald. The wallet contained Scott’s birth certificate and voter registration card. The chief speculated that Scott waited for customers to exit, spending several minutes browsing through the store before he approached the counter and pulled out his wallet posing as customer.
“That’s when he told them he had a gun and demanded cash,” the chief said.
Shortly afterwards he fled with a undisclosed amount of cash and the items he had placed on the counter, but without his wallet. Hernandez said it took several weeks to place the cuffs on the suspect because he would flee from police when they approached.
“We encountered him several times on foot, he would always run and he is pretty fast,” Hernandez said.
One of the encounters occurred the week after the robbery when Sgt. Spring Crenshaw responded to a shop lifting call at Dollar General. When she arrived, she observed Scott already outside the store with an armload of stolen merchandise. Scott dropped his load and took off on foot. There was another encounter before Hernandez spotted him on Wood Street last Wednesday in what would prove to be his last day of freedom for a while.
Scott took off again but this time the chief was able to round up a sizable group of officers from his department along with county deputies to cordon off the area between Wood Street, Calhoun Street and Blackmur Drive. The hunt lasted almost an hour before Crenshaw found Scott hiding in a house on Blackmur Drive and put the cuffs on him.
“There were enough law enforcement officers in the area to keep him from getting away this time, he had to hunker down,” Sheriff Lance Humphreys explained.
The strong police presence also attracted the attention of folks in the area including Matt Sessums, who posted on Facebook about the activity.
“I didn’t know there were that many law enforcement in the whole county,” Sessums wrote.
Scott is also charged with shoplifting for the incident at Dollar General.
Other law enforcement activity reported by the chief:
• Responded to a report of petty larceny on West Lee St. on June 29 when a leaf blower was reported stolen.
• Responded to a petty larceny on July 1 at Valley Motel when electronic items were reported stolen.
• Answered a disturbing the peace call at Dollar General on July 1.
• Investigated a malicious mischief incident that started on West Lee Street on July 1 after a vehicle was vandalized. Charges were filed in the case.
• Arrested June Hughes for shoplifting, first offense, at Dollar General on July 2.
• Investigated a petty larceny at Fred’s on July 4 after a lady reported she had left her purse in the bathroom at Fred’s. She reported there was $1,180 in her purse and $580 was recovered in the area.
• Investigated an arson case on Fly Street. The Mississippi Fire Marshal’s office is assisting.
• Took a report of a stolen laptop computer taken from a vehicle at Champion Circle on July 5.
• Arrested Allen Fortune of Oxford for DUI, second offense, careless driving and running a stop sign on July 6.
• Responded to a simple assault on South Main on July 7.
• Arrested Jacquelynn Mahan of Water Valley for possession of drug paraphernalia and outstanding warrants on July 8.
• Arrested Sheena Askov for DUI, first offense on July 8 after responding to a call that female was passed out in her car at Sprint Mart.
• Arrested Jeremy Mooney and LaNita Faith Henderson for shoplifting, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana after responding to a call at Dollar General on July 8.
• Arrested Scott Lexa for public drunk on Main Street on July 8.
• Issued 47 tickets and made a total of 12 arrests from June 27 to July 10.
