Two arrests made in recent robbery cases
By Staff
Jason Houston FCT Managing Editor
A local woman was arrested this week in connection with a robbery that took place in mid-October.
A spokesman for the Franklin County Sheriff's Department said Peggy Newell, 31, of 514 Fillmore Street in Russellville, was arrested and charged with third-degree theft of property, third-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Unlawful possession of a controlled substance is a Class C felony, punishable by 1-10 years in prison upon conviction. The burglary charge is also a Class C felony. The theft charge is a misdemeanor.
Investiga-tors said the charges stemmed from a robbery that took place Oct. 15, 2004, at the Tri-County Trading Post on Franklin 48 near the Lawrence-Colbert-Franklin county lines.
At that time, Newell and a companion entered the store and just after they left the store, $280 was discovered missing from a purse at the business.
Officials said store owners notified law enforcement, and Newell was identified from video surveillance tapes.
This week, Russellville Police Officers stopped the two women in the same vehicle for a traffic offense. Newell was arrested and her companion was transported to Jefferson County on other charges.
Newell is being held in the Franklin County Jail on bond totaling $7,500.
The Russellville Police Department assisted the sheriff's department on the case.
In an unrelated case, a Lawrence County man was arrested over the weekend in connection with a robbery at a Franklin County convenience store.
Investigators said Timothy Phillip Blankenship, 41, of 194 County Road 449 in Town Creek, allegedly entered a store on Franklin 81 and grabbed $240 from the cash register while an employee was in the back of the store.
Alerts were issued to law enforcement agents, and Blankenship was arrested several miles into Lawrence County by sheriff's deputies from both counties.
He was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree theft of property. He was released on bond Monday from the Franklin County Jail.
