| 113th Year, 15th Issue | Thursday, November 22, 2001 | Sparta, North Carolina |
Four Hispanic men with pistols and wearing ski masks entered a mobile home on Roberts Road near N.C. 18 Monday night around 9:30 p.m. and took a substantial amount of cash and other property.
According to information from the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department Deputy Brian Maines, the victims, also all Hispanic, opened the door to their assailants after they called out that they were with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
When the victims opened the door to the mobile home, the assailants rushed in and proceeded to take control of the residence.
Maines said the suspects were last seen leaving the scene of the robbery traveling south on N.C. 18 in a small black car.
Information on the robbery suspects was spotty as of presstime on Tuesday. "The robbers were wearing ski masks and they were Hispanic," Maines said. "That's all we know at this time."
The five victims in the crime were Constantino Cervantes Geromino, Saturnino De Leon Tovias, Zuniga Garcia Zeferino, Ortiz De Leon Juan De Dios and Margarito De Leon Tovias. The report did not list ages for the victims, who were interviewed with the assistance of an interpreter. According to a report, after securing control of the residence, the robbers assaulted three of the victims with the butt of their pistols.
The assailants then took money from the victims' pockets and wallets, searched the home for other valuables and fled the scene.
The victims were left bound on the floor while the robbers left the area. After the victims freed themselves of their restraints, they immediately called the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department to report the crime.
Maines said that no sign of the black car could be found in southern Alleghany County.
Alleghany then notified surrounding counties to be on the lookout for the vehicle. Alerted were Wilkes and Ashe counties and the N.C. Highway Patrol. Also assisting in the investigation was Deputy Craig Hart.
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