Sheriff's department reports second armed robbery in county

The Alleghany County Sheriff's Department reported an armed robbery in Laurel Springs last Monday which may be connected to another armed robbery there about two weeks ago.

According to a report filed by Deputy Bryan Maines, five Hispanic males entered a home that was the residence of more than 20 Hispanics and robbed 14 migrant farm workers on Meadow Fork Road.

The robbers allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of American and Mexican money and payroll checks from the victims.

The suspects were dressed in black and wearing ski masks, the report said. One of the men was wearing a tan jacket. Two men were described as being 5'7", while the other three were described as 5'4". The suspects quickly entered the residence and identified themselves as law enforcement officers and officers with the U.S. Department of Immigration looking for guns, the report said. One suspect had a pistol, three had long guns and one had two long guns — one in each hand.

One of the victims attempted to flee the scene, but was caught and duct tape was wrapped around his legs. None of the other victims were tied up. However, they were ordered to get on the floor and blankets and other items were thrown on top of them. One of the suspects fired a shotgun blast into the ceiling of the residence.

Dispatch received the call on Dec. 3 at 9:08 p.m. and Maines was dispatched to the scene. According to a witness at the scene, tracks of the suspects leaving the residence led toward Cleary Road. The migrant farm workers told Maines that the suspects were driving a mini-van or SUV, but could not offer a description of the color of the vehicle. Maines put out an all-points bulletin (APB) within a 50-mile radius of the scene.

One of the victims was assaulted by being kicked to the floor, while another was hit on the back.

Prior to leaving the scene, the suspects pulled the telephone cord from the wall.

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back