Edward Joe Smith

WARSAW — A Fort Wayne man is being charged with the armed robbery of a local Dollar General.

Edward Joe Smith, 44, 908 Dewald St., Fort Wayne, is being charged with one count robbery with a deadly weapon, a level 3 felony, and count two theft, a level 6 felony.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, officers with the Warsaw Police Department responded to a robbery with a handgun at Dollar General on April 4.

When the officer spoke with a female employee, she advised she was working the cash register when a white male subject, identified as Smith, in a black hoodie, wraparound sunglasses, white tennis shoes and light-colored jean jacket with a black handgun approached her. She advised that Smith placed the gun on the counter with his hand on it and stated he wanted all the money from both registers. The female employee proceeded to give him all the money from the first register before Smith went behind the counter to receive money from the second register. Both registers totaled $868.

The officer then spoke with a female customer who was at the counter finishing her transaction. She advised that Smith approached the teller with a handgun and requested all the money. The customer became fearful for her life. Smith told her it was going to be okay.

A male bystander who was walking out of the Cash Advance next door advised that he had observed a man matching Smith’s description run past Cash Advance. He stated that Smith dropped the black gun, bent over to pick it up and kept running. The bystander located a piece of the gun that had broken off and gave it to officers.

Surveillance video was obtained and reviewed. The footage clearly showed Smith entering Dollar General, walking up to the counter and displaying a handgun before receiving money from the first register. The gun can also clearly be seen when the subject went behind the counter to receive money from the second register.

New Haven Police arrested Smith in conjunction to a Dollar General Robbery in Rockford, Ohio, on April 18.

Warsaw officers were advised that there had also been a robbery at a Family Dollar in Angola. An Angola Police Department Detective displayed a photograph array to cashiers at the robbed Family Dollar where the cashiers picked out Smith as the man who robbed them.

Smith is being held at Kosciusko County Jail on $50,250 surety bond.