Stakeout at the J-Mart by Michael Martin, ECPD retired

About the author...Michael Martin (pictured front row, far right in the 1981 photo) is a retired veteran of 25 years on the Eden City Police Department, and has penned a number of anecdotal writings recalling his experiences.

This is a continuation of the story about the stakeout on Meadow Road. We were looking for a black male who had pulled armed robberies at a couple of Eden Convenience Markets.

I had the Meadow Road One Stop (prior story) and Detective Bob Stewart and Gregg Moore had the J-Mart on Virginia Avenue. I thought they had it easy because they had our surveillance van. At that time Eden PD had a Ford Conversion Van. It was comfortable and roomy and no one in town knew we had it, even after a year of use. We could sit within forty feet of the bad guys and film their crimes and they did not even know we were there...We once filmed a contract being made for a murder (another story).

Well, Bob and Gregg had the van and were staked out at the J-Mart, looking for a black male robber when a ford Escort pulled up and one subject went into the J-Mart. Bobby Stewart recognized the driver of the Escort, but did not know the other fellow. He came out and got in the Escort and they drove off. Nothing unusual and the stakeout continued.

A few minutes later, Stewart saw the same fellow walk in from the north and walk into the J-Mart again. Bob thought...this is odd and Bob and Gregg watched closely. The subject walked into the J-Mart and pulled a gun and pulled an armed robbery in full view of two Eden Police Department Detectives. The clerk knew Eden officers were close and he/she hesitated and the subject fired his weapon inside the store, grabbed the money and ran out as Gregg Moore sprinted across the parking lot and Bobby called in the mayhem and gave a description of the Escort. Then he scrambled into the fray.

There may or may not have been other shots fired in the woods behind J-Mart but our robber ran full tilt thru places where a rabbit could not crawl. In a few seconds, Patrol Operations had screwed shotguns into the ear of the driver of the Escort, who was parked up the street. Bobby and Gregg and some uniforms captured the robber near the trestle in Spray. The funny thing was, our suspect had just gotten out of prison for an armed robbery in Alamance County. He had pulled two armed robberies in his life and was caught within fifteen minutes both times. He just needed to find a new line of work!!!!