Police believe narcotics fueling rash of robberies
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Quick and thorough work by Jasper Police officers led to the arrest of a suspect who is believed to have robbed the Dairy Queen restaurant Sunday evening.

Wayne Lamont Raglin, 30, of the 500 block of Stewart, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery Sunday night and confessed to detectives that he had robbed the store manager as she left the business.

"We are very pleased at the good work of our officers and detectives in solving this crime," said Jasper Police Chief Todd Hunter. "At the same time, we now have had three robberies in a 30-day period and that is alarming to us."

Hunter said as a result of the recent activity the police department will step up its surveillance around local businesses at closing.

"We plan on getting with our local business owners and offer a crime prevention meeting in the near future," Hunter said. "We would instruct them on ways to prevent crimes such as these from happening."

According to police reports, officers responded to the Dairy Queen at 987 South Wheeler at 11:17 p.m. March 4 when the female manager reported she had been approached by a black male with a gun who asked for the night's deposit bags.

The female said the suspect displayed a small, black handgun and fled west behind the restaurant with the night deposits and the victim's purse.

Police arrived at the scene and located footprints in the sand behind a fence where another employee had seen the suspect earlier.

The footprints had the imprint of "FILA" and were photographed into evidence.

Police searched the neighborhood behind the restaurant and found the victim's purse and belongings in front of a residence in the 300 block of E. Childers.

The investigation led officers to a residence in the 850 block of Caldwell Street. Police found two people leaving the residence and asked for consent to search the home.

On an end table in the home, police found deposit slips from Dairy Queen and personal checks that had been written to the restaurant earlier that evening.

Further questioning of the two residents of the home led police to Raglin as he attempted to leave a home in the 400 block of West Childers.

Raglin was found in possession of $757 and later confessed to Det. Mike Poindexter that he "robbed the lady at the Dairy Queen."

According to police reports, Raglin said "he owed people money for drugs he had bought in the past and they knew he was leaving Jasper and had made it clear to him he needed to pay before he left."

Raglin denied using a weapon during the course of the alleged crime and police have not recovered a weapon.

"All of these robberies are narcotic-related," Hunter said. "So far, no weapons have been involved yet but it's just a matter of time before somebody will get seriously hurt. If they continue, we're going to continue to do our job and lock them up."