Suspect in liquor store robbery identified by the way he jumped over the counter

A Newton County man was has been arrested for the robbery of a liquor store in southern Boone County after store employees identified him by the way he jumped over the counter while watching surveillance video of the break in with investigators. Facing three felony charges for the incident last month is 34-year-old Dustin Nathanal Dillon of Western Grove.According to the probable cause affidavit from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, when employees of the Blue Water Liquor Store on U.S. Highway 65 near the Newton County line arrived at the business the morning of Sept. 19, the front glass to the business had been broken and lottery tickets, paperwork, rolled coins and glass were on the ground outside of the business. Investigators were a bit puzzled when they found a safe from the business in the parking lot that had “a formidable amount of U.S. currency” still inside of it.
A concrete landscaping brick was found inside the business that matched one from a flower bed outside. It was also determined the safe had been taken from the back office.

Investigators worked with a store employee to review security footage from inside the store. The saw a person arrive shortly after 1:30 that morning, pick up the landscaping brick and throw it through the window. He then jumps over the counter and uses a wireless FOB next to the register to disable the alarm system. He then heads to the office and comes out carrying the safe and exits the business. As the suspect is running across the parking lot, he falls, and the contents of the safe scatter across the parking lot.

While reviewing the footage, the store employee identified the suspect as Dillon, saying he used to work at the business, but quit over an incident where $100 went missing. The employee was certain it was Dillon because he used to jump over the counter in the same manner when he worked there.

Deputies went to Dillon’s residence in Western Grove and during questioning, he admitted to the robbery. He said when he fell down in the parking lot, he got scared and fled. After he left the area, he changed his clothes, put the clothes he wore during the crime into a trash bag, lit it on fire and threw it off the roadway. He wasn’t sure where because he said he was drunk at the time. Deputies were able to locate some of the items to corroborate Dillon’s story.

Dillon is facing felony counts of commercial burglary, theft of property and first degree criminal mischief. He is being held in the Boone County Jail with bond set at $10,000.

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady^® NSI