Robberies occur minutes apart

Richmond County authorities are investigating two armed robberies that occurred about the same time Saturday night.

In the first, a man with a gun robbed Taco Bell at 3222 Wrightsboro Road about 9:20 p.m., according to a Richmond County sheriff’s report. The robber walked in while talking on a cellular phone, and he continued to hold the phone to his head as he ordered his food. When an employee opened a cash register to give the man change, the man showed the employee a black handgun and demanded money.

The robber took about $142 and fled on foot. A blue jacket and white hat with a black crown, similar to those the robber was wearing, were found at the railroad tracks on Sibley Road near Gordon Highway.

The robber was described as black, in his late 40s or early 50s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds and with scruffy facial hair.

A second armed robbery occurred about 9:40 p.m. at S T Food Store at 3706 Mike Padgett Highway. The report says a man jumped over the counter, struck an employee in the back of the head with a black pistol four times and took money from the cash register. The robber fled south on Mike Padgett Highway in a small silver vehicle.

The robber was described as black, 20 to 30 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, black shoes and a hooded sweat shirt. The man might also have had a blue shirt pulled over his face.