WEST PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man they suspect robbed the Farmington Rd. Freedom Oil shortly after 8:00 Wednesday morning after striking the clerk on duty in the head with a gun.
Shortly after arrival at 8:13 to the scene, they saw a man wearing a backpack who was walking from the woods in the area of Pierson Ave. and Lehman Rd.
“He didn’t flee. He was acting as if he had no involvement,” said Sheriff Brian Asbell.
“There was a clothing change and he thought he was free. Fortunately, the officers on the scene had enough experience to know something wasn’t right.
“Two minutes after an armed robbery in the area, you typically don’t just find someone walking from the woods.”
After apprehending the man, they opened his backpack to find cash, the gun they believed he used to commit the robbery, and clothing that matched what the suspect was wearing in surveillance videos.
A subsequent interview led to his formal arrest and booking. He was identified as 23-year-old Johnny Bailey, and he was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of a weapon by a felon.
The male clerk was taken to a local hospital, and his status was unknown, though Asbell said his injuries were non-life-threatening.
