Would-be robber runs out of gas

Thursday just wasn’t their day.
Williamsburg police say one Tennessee man got laughed at while he tried to rob a convenience store Thursday afternoon, while his partner later got caught when his car ran out of gas.
Williamsburg Police Detective Wayne Bird charged Thomas R. Kellogg, 23, of Jellico, with attempted armed robbery, and Danny R. Douglas, 21, of Pioneer, Tenn., with criminal facilitation to commit attempted armed robbery.
Both are being held in the Whitley County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond.
“While we were on the way from the Jellico Police Department to Lafollette Police Department to pick up a judge’s order to sign extradition on our first suspect, when we passed the second suspect, Douglas, and the vehicle broke down on US25W about 12 miles south of Jellico,” Bird said. “The vehicle was out of gas. He was actually putting gas in the vehicle when he was apprehended.”
It is uncertain whether the attempted robbery might be connected to the robbery at a Jellico hair salon a day earlier where a suspect used a knife.
Sometime after 4 p.m. Thursday, Bird said the suspects allegedly parked their vehicle in the parking lot of Scottish Inn, which is south of L&J Market.
“Kellogg got out on foot, and went to the Tobacco Shack, which is just a couple hundred yards from L&J Market, and went inside. I’m sure he intended to rob the Tobacco Shack too,” Bird said.
After seeing an intimidating looking person working inside, Bird said Kellogg apparently thought better of it, and went to L&J Market.
About 4:23 p.m., Williamsburg police got a 911 call from store owner John Canter about a robbery in progress.
Kellogg apparently entered the store wearing a homemade mask, and approached the owner demanding money, according to a Williamsburg Police Department press release.
Bird said he doesn’t think that the suspects anticipated the store owner putting up resistance.
“That kind of foiled their plan. I think they expected to walk in, rob the place, and have the store owner and the clerk comply. It just didn’t happen this time,” Bird said. “Basically, when he walked in, the store owner pretty much laughed at him, and told him he wasn’t getting anything.
“That’s when he turned around, and grabbed a female customer by the neck, who was in the store,” Bird said. “He placed what we believed was a knife to her neck, and told Canter that if he didn’t give him the money, he’d kill her. By that time, Canter was calling 911, and the female managed to get away from the suspect.
“He got into a struggle with Canter over the telephone. He couldn’t overpower him, so I guess he decided to run. He got pretty unlucky.”
Kellogg left the store without any money, ran, and got into a silver 2002 Pontiac Grand Am, which headed south on US25W at a high rate of speed, the press release noted.
Bird said the suspects headed south of US25W through the Black Oak community and down Kenny Bug Road onto London Avenue where Kellogg apparently got out of the vehicle. Douglas kept heading south toward Lafollette.
About 4:42 p.m., Kellogg was apprehended by Jellico Police Chief Tony Day.
“Tony Day was coming down London Avenue when he saw Kellogg just outside a residence. His clothing matched a description we had put out,” Bird said.
Kellogg was caught about half a mile from his house, Day noted.
Shortly after Kellogg’s arrest, police learned the identity of the second suspect, who was caught about 8 p.m. on US25W about 12 miles south of Jellico.
Bird said Kellogg is apparently a suspect in the robbery of a Jellico hair salon Wednesday afternoon, but that Douglas isn’t.
Day said he can’t comment on whether the cases are linked, but that they happened in a similar manner, and are still under investigation.
About 12:59 last Wednesday, an unidentified male in his 20’s entered Unique Hair Design on South Main Street in Jellico.
The suspect knocked down and stepped on a 14 to 15 month old girl as he entered the store, and demanded money from one of the workers, Day said.
“He placed a box cutter to one of the customer’s neck, stating he would harm her and a young child if his demands were not met. He also warned everyone not to call the police. The subject left the scene when the employee produced money,” according to a Jellico Police Department press release.
Day said the woman suffered a minor abrasion to her neck from the box cutter, and the suspect got away with $60.
Jellico Police Detective Jeff Partin is continuing the investigation.
Both suspects waived extradition back to Kentucky Thursday.
Bird noted that it isn’t normally a good idea to resist someone that is trying to rob you.
“It’s not a good idea. It is actually a really good idea to comply with them,” Bird said. “He could have easily hurt somebody, but in this case, the owner didn’t want to comply. It worked out pretty good because the bad guys didn’t get any money, and they were apprehended within a couple of hours later.”
Both Kellogg and Douglas pleaded not guilty during their arraignments Monday in Whitley District Court.
Judge Cathy Prewitt scheduled a Feb. 21, preliminary hearing in their case.
The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department also took part in the investigation.