GA: Town forms impromptu posse, tracks down robber

[ELB]

"The lady screamed at me and said 'I've been robbed, he's got a gun, and I gave him all the money,'" Lowery recalled.

...

"People just kept coming around and they were mad, people in Rhine were mad," Lowery said. "Here we had an armed robbery in the middle of the day at Aden's and they wanted to form a posse."

Lowery says more than 20 people, many of them armed, spread out looking for the gunman, in trucks and on foot.

...

Lowery, a retired corrections officer, ended up tracking the suspect down roughly 200 yards away from the store. He fired a warning shot from his deer rifle and says the suspect stashed his gun and money, and hid in a nearby shed, where he was soon arrested by Dodge County sheriff's deputies.

Major Donald Helms of the Dodge County Sheriff's Office says it's just a story of good guys with guns. People in a small town excerising their right to bear arms.

"You might not want to come down there and mess with the Rhine folks," Helms said.
...

Rhine Posse member Carter Clements also had a warning to outsiders that may be up to no good.

"Don't come to Rhine and mess with us, because if you do, we're going to mess with you," Clements said.

http://www.wgxa.tv/story/small-georgia- ... t-20131108" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Apparently the robber was having a bad day all around...

Helms said the investigation revealed that prior to robbing the convenience store, the suspect had gone into the CB&T bank and asked the tellers to open the window. When the teller refused, the man left the bank going to the store. Bank employees attempted to call the store and warn them of the suspicious person. The suspect went into the store and pointed a small caliber handgun at the clerk demanding money. He then fled with an undetermined amount of money.

http://eastman.s468.sureserver.com/rhin ... y-suspect/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interview with Sheriff's Department:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... cDfb1-1tDw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jaguar]

Thanks for the post, my feel-good story for the day. No one hurt, no "mob justice" inflicted, bad guy in custody, they just got the job done.

[WildBill]

Thanks for the post, my feel-good story for the day. No one hurt, no "mob justice" inflicted, bad guy in custody, they just got the job done.

All is well, except for the warning shot.

[C-dub]

Without the deputizing or supervision of an actual LEO, that sounds like it bordered on a group of vigilantes. I'm glad they didn't actually do any harm to get in any real trouble and hope the local DA doesn't prosecute any of them. I don't think a former corrections officer would count, would it?

[jmra]

Without the deputizing or supervision of an actual LEO, that sounds like it bordered on a group of vigilantes. I'm glad they didn't actually do any harm to get in any real trouble and hope the local DA doesn't prosecute any of them. I don't think a former corrections officer would count, would it?

I'd be willing to bet he wouldn't be the DA for very long if he tried.

[Jumping Frog]

Without the deputizing or supervision of an actual LEO, that sounds like it bordered on a group of vigilantes. I'm glad they didn't actually do any harm to get in any real trouble and hope the local DA doesn't prosecute any of them. I don't think a former corrections officer would count, would it?

Anyone is legally allowed to make a citizen's arrest for felonies.

[johncanfield]

.. He fired a warning shot from his deer rifle and says the suspect stashed his gun and money, and hid in a nearby shed,..

Yikes! Hopefully not in the air...

[RoyGBiv]

.. He fired a warning shot from his deer rifle and says the suspect stashed his gun and money, and hid in a nearby shed,..

Yikes! Hopefully not in the air...

Only Bidden would do that.