A Colorado woman allegedly held up a gas station with a knife, made off with $38, and then drove right past the officers investigating the robbery.
Police in Cañon City said the woman entered an Alta gas station, displayed a knife, and demanded money. The clerk handed over the contents of the cash register, which amounted to just $38.
The woman escaped in a silver Chevrolet, but her getaway apparently included an ill-timed return trip past the scene of the crime.
According to the Cañon City Police Department, officers were still gathering information about the robbery when a vehicle matching the getaway car’s description drove past the station. They also noticed that the driver matched the suspect’s description.
The Getaway Takes an Unexpected Turn
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The robbery was reported at approximately 7:36 a.m. at the Alta station at 1501 Central Avenue.
Officers stopped the silver Chevrolet after spotting it passing the station. During the investigation, police said they developed sufficient grounds to identify the driver as the robbery suspect.
Cheyenne Parker, 26, of Cañon City, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery, a Class 3 felony; menacing, a Class 5 felony; and petty theft.
Her alleged $38 haul quickly became the main attraction in the Facebook comments.
“This sounds like a show on the dumbest criminals series,” one commenter wrote.
Another offered a hypothetical response to discovering that the cash register contained so little money: “I’m apologizing and handing it back to them with my head down. How embarrassing.”
A third commenter summed up the financial side of the allegations: “If people are going to wave around a gun or knife at others and demand things, I am going to judge.”
The Price Tag Is Only Part of the Problem
Several readers wondered how stealing just $38 could result in two felony charges.
Under Colorado’s aggravated robbery law, the amount stolen is not what determines whether a robbery becomes aggravated. The offense involves additional circumstances, including using a deadly weapon to threaten someone with bodily injury.
Colorado also makes menacing with a knife a Class 5 felony when the statutory elements are met.
That means the alleged use of the knife, rather than the $38 taken from the register, accounts for the seriousness of the charges.
For readers doing the math, the two felony allegations accompany a theft charge involving less money than many drivers spend filling their gas tanks.
Police said the robbery remains under investigation.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.