HOWELL – The Howell Police Department is seeking help from the public in identifying the man who robbed the Check Cashing Station, 5995 Route 9, at about 11:37 a.m. May 1.
Howell Police Communications received a 911 call from a store employee who reported the robbery.
Police said the suspect entered the business and engaged in a brief conversation with the employee, luring him out of a locked office area under false pretenses. The employee was working by himself. The suspect then brandished a handgun and demanded the employee allow him into the locked area. The employee complied with the directive. The suspect then forced the employee into a bathroom and proceeded to steal a significant amount of cash, according to police.
The suspect fled the area within minutes, at which time the employee called 911. The suspect was described as a white male wearing sunglasses and a multi-colored bandanna around his neck, likely in his 40s or 50s, about 5-feet, 6-inches tall, with a medium build, short gray hair and a scruffy beard. The man was reported to have been wearing a hooded sweatshirt/jacket.
Police said the suspect fled the scene in a white 2004-2007 Ford Econoline van and headed north on Route 9. The operator of a white Ford F250 pickup truck is being sought as a potential witness.