ELYRIA, Ohio — The Lorain County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding the man who stole a gun from the Rural King in Elyria on Thursday. In the meantime, deputies have a woman in custody who is accused of aiding the robbery suspect.
The incident happened at approximately 10:10 a.m. on Thursday. The sheriff's office says the man entered the Rural King on Oberlin-Elyria Road and asked a clerk to see a gun. Shortly after the clerk took a gun out from the counter, a woman with a toddler is seen on surveillance video approaching the firearms section. She appears to distract the clerk, allowing the suspect to run out of the store with the gun. He got into the passenger side of a Dodge Dart and headed away on Oberlin-Elyria Road.
Editor's Note: You can watch surveillance video of the incident below. We have blurred out the Rural King clerk as well as the toddler involved.
After releasing initial information about the robbery, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a woman named Jessica Hughes, who wanted to clear her name and agreed to an interview with detectives. As the interview took place, the detective bureau received information that the clothes worn by the male suspect at the robbery were found in the trash near where Hughes lives.
Upon obtaining a search warrant for Hughes' residence, investigators found the stolen gun from Rural King inside a microwave. Hughes was charged with complicity to theft, a 3rd degree felony. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business. Hughes was booked into the Lorain County Jail and is awaiting a court date.
Meanwhile, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau is still actively attempting to identify the male suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Aschemeier at 440-329-3757.
