One of two suspects who allegedly robbed a local convenience store at gunpoint earlier this month was arrested Wednesday after store employees recognized him as a regular customer.
Rahnzell Evytea Rahn, 19, of 600 Sixth St., was taken into custody shortly after 1:30 p.m. in front of his apartment building and charged with a felony count of aggravated robbery, punishable by up to life in prison, and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Rahn remained in custody Thursday on zero bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.
Hot Springs police Cpl. Joey Williams, the department's public relations officer, said Thursday the robbery is still under investigation and more arrests are anticipated. He asked for anyone with information to call police at 321-6789.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 9, shortly after 7 p.m., police Detective Scott Lampinen and other officers responded to a robbery that had just occurred at E-Z Mart, 505 Summer St. The clerk stated two black males had entered the store and one brandished a handgun and pointed it at her head.
She said the second suspect stood by as the one with the gun demanded the money in the register and some cigarillos. The suspects then fled the store after receiving $50 in cash and 12 packs of cigarillos valued at $19.56.
A store manager responded to the scene and pulled up security video of the incident. As he was playing it back, the manager noted he "instantly recognized" the second suspect as a regular customer who "comes in all the time" with his mother.
A short time later, another store manager arrived and also recognized the suspect and stated he was in the store earlier that day. They located the video footage of the suspect's previous visit to the store and Lampinen obtained a still photo of him.
The managers did not know the name of the suspect or his mother, but another store clerk told police the suspect and his mother lived at the apartments at 600 Sixth St. and described the car his mother drove.
Lampinen went to the apartments and located the vehicle she had described. A check of the registration showed it returned to a woman identified as Rahn's mother.
A check of local reports revealed a recent involvement police had with the mother at that address and her son, Rahn, was listed as a witness. There were no photos of Rahn, who according to court records has no prior criminal history, in the Arkansas Crime Information Center computer, but Lampinen located several Facebook profiles Rahn had and was reportedly able to positively identify him as the second suspect in the robbery.
A warrant for Rahn's arrest was issued Tuesday. Around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Officer 1st Class Brent Scrimshire spotted Rahn standing in the street in front of 600 Sixth St. and made contact with him. Once the officer had confirmed the robbery warrant he took him into custody.
During a search of Rahn, Scrimshire allegedly located a plastic baggie containing 5.6 grams of suspected marijuana.
The E-Z Mart at Summer was previously robbed on Aug. 7 when a white male suspect entered the store armed with a handgun and allegedly stole 28 packs of Newport 100 cigarettes. Police later arrested a suspect, Dylan Kalani Rodrigues, 18, of Hot Springs, who was charged with aggravated robbery in the incident.
Rodrigues, who remained in custody Thursday in lieu of $20,000 bond, is scheduled for a plea and arraignment hearing in Garland County Circuit Court on Nov. 6.
Local on 10/19/2018