A local man used a knife to rob a 78-year-old woman outside a Charleston department store on Tuesday, according to police.
Clifton Martin, 23, whose address was not immediately available, and James Rodgers, 34, of Valley Grove Road in eastern Kanawha County, each was charged with first-degree robbery on Wednesday afternoon. Martin allegedly robbed the woman, and Rodgers allegedly drove the getaway truck.
The two men took turns standing outside the Elder-Beerman store at the Shops at Kanawha on Tuesday evening, waiting for the chance to rob someone of her purse, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
At around 6 p.m., Martin allegedly stopped 78-year-old Louise Babst as she approached the store entrance. Martin showed a knife and said "Let me have this," according to the complaint.
Babst, who gave Martin her purse, was not injured, according to the complaint.
Martin then ran to the parking lot and got in his grandfather's red Ford Ranger pickup truck, driven by Rodgers, and the two fled the scene.
A witness, Tyler Bostic, said he saw the incident and followed the truck to the nearby Kroger store, then stopped to call 911. Video surveillance cameras at Kroger captured the truck driving behind the store and heading east on MacCorkle Avenue.
About an hour later, the same truck pulled into the Speedway on Campbells Creek Drive. The man entered the store and entered and Rodgers used one of Babst's credit cards to make multiple transactions, according to the complaint. Rodgers also swiped his Speedy Rewards card, which is registered in his name.
The men were arrested shortly afterward, Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, said at a news conference Wednesday.
"With the victim being 78 years old [and] a knife being used, clearly that's a case we're taking very seriously," Cooper said. "This is the type of robbery that shocks the conscience of the community."
The suspects were arraigned in Kanawha County Magistrate Court Wednesday. A magistrate assigned a $250,000 cash-only bond for both men.
Martin didn't answer reporters' questions before the arraignment. Rodgers said he didn't know the credit card he used belonged to Babst and said, "I apologize."
Cooper added that in a situations where a person is approached by an armed robbery suspect, it's always best to comply.
"We've seen in the culture of heroin epidemic that certain crimes have gone up; we're battling that by arresting suspects and the various drug prevention and enforcement programs we have," Cooper said.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.