Armed robbery suspect arrested | News, Sports, Jobs



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Hodges

A Pittsburgh-area man was arrested Friday and charged with armed robbery Tuesday at Juniata Cards, 1019 N. Fourth Ave.

Jayson B. Hodges, 41, of Trafford, was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio on six counts after allegedly admitting to holding store owners at gunpoint and robbing several collectibles and money, according to court documents.

According to a police report, a man carrying a 9mm handgun entered the store on Tuesday and allegedly pointed the handgun at the store owners, ordering them to get down and “Do not look at me.”

The owners were then escorted to the back of the residence, and the suspect placed several valuable collectible cards and $ 1,300 in cash in a container, escaping before police arrived, according to the report.

CCTV of the theft was made public on Tuesday afternoon, and in the footage, the suspect was seen carrying a handgun in the store and placing valuables in a trash can while wearing a black hat, cover-up. face and latex gloves.

A tip from a confidential source identified Hodges ‘red Subaru Outback as the same vehicle used in the theft, police said, and Altoona Police, along with Trafford Police Department, monitored Hodges’ residence at Trafford.

Police said officers saw Hodges hanging Halloween decorations on the roof of a residence on the 400 block of Duquesne Avenue, Trafford, and he allegedly wore the same shoes and hat that the suspect was wearing during the theft.

As officers attempted to obtain a search warrant for Hodges’ residence, he escaped on a bicycle before being arrested by Trafford Police, court documents show.

After being taken into custody, Hodges reportedly admitted to the theft, saying he used the money to buy Halloween decorations, court documents show.

The handgun that Hodges allegedly used in the robbery and brandished the store owners had ammunition in the magazine at the time of the robbery, Hodges reportedly told police, but there was no bullet in the room.

Court documents said Hodges had already been convicted of six burglary offenses in 1996, and he told police the handgun was stolen from a friend in Greensburg because he was not legally authorized to carry a firearm.

Hodges reportedly told agents he bought collectibles from Juniata Cards about 20 years ago and was able to recall one of the owners by first name.

During a search of Hodges’ home, police reportedly recovered sports cards, clothing from the robbery, a cell phone, a tablet, a plastic bag with purple handles and a Ruger P95 9mm handgun with nine cartridges in the magazine.

Hodges faces counts of robbery, prohibited firearms possession, unlicensed unauthorized firearms, retail theft and receiving stolen property, the criminal record says .

He is currently being held at Blair County Jail in lieu of a $ 400,000 cash bond.

He is scheduled to appear before District Judicial Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on September 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Mirror staff writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.

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