Greenwood police believe two men being held in connection with two Monday robberies in Greenville are also responsible for an armed robbery of a gas station in Greenwood on Saturday night.
Acting Greenwood Police Chief Johnny Langdon said Det. Jeri Bankston was on her way to Greenville this morning to question the two suspects in connection with the robbery of the Murphy USA in Greenwood.
Corrected version
Michael Cobbs, 35, and Johnny Moore, 41, were arrested Monday night by Indianola police.
The two men allegedly held up Cash Tyme, a payroll advance business in Greenville, at gunpoint Monday morning. Cobbs also is accused of robbing a Southern Bancorp branch in Greenville at 4 p.m. the same day, and Moore allegedly served as the getaway driver.
“The money along with the gun was found in (Cobbs’) truck,” said Greenville Assistant Police Chief Andrew Kaho. Cobbs and Moore were turned over to Greenville authorities.
Cobbs’ truck appeared to be the same Chevrolet Tahoe used in Saturday night’s robbery of the Murphy USA gas station in Greenwood, Langdon said.
Greenwood police presented the station’s clerk with photos of the two men as part of a photo lineup. Langdon said the clerk identified Cobbs as the culprit in the hold-up.
Cobbs allegedly entered the Murphy USA location on Capt. Viola Brown Sanders Drive near Walmart in Greenwood at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday.
He was carrying a handgun and demanded the clerk open the register and the station’s safe.
When the clerk said she could not open the safe, the suspect left the building, re-entered through an employee entrance and got behind the clerk.
The employee jumped the counter and fled the station through the customer entrance before the suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, Langdon said.
He then met a second man — believed to be Moore — in the parking lot before fleeing the scene in a Tahoe.
Cobbs has also been charged in connection another armed robbery Saturday night. Greenville police believe he robbed a Kangaroo gas station in the 1500 block of Mississippi 1 in Greenville shortly before 7 p.m.
Moore and Cobbs have not yet been charged in the Greenwood robbery.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
