Purple Cow robber nabbed
BY BRUCE BRANUM
The Greenville Standard
The Purple Cow convenience and gas station, located at 1007 Fort Dale Road, was robbed by an armed suspect on Monday morning, April 26, around 7 a.m.
The suspect, De’Arrius Hill, age 20 and from Lincoln, was eventually apprehended in Calhoun County on unrelated charges.
According to a press release by Greenville Police Department (GPD) Chief Justin Lovvorn, a clerk at the Purple Cow reported a black male entered the store, pointed a gun at the clerk, and then demanded money from the register.
The clerk gave the suspect a small amount of cash from the register, the suspect then exited the business, and left the scene in an automobile.
Officers responded to the robbery shortly after 7 a.m. and investigators were able to collect several items of evidence, including reviewing the store’s surveillance video.
Lovvorn stated, “The evidence gathered at the scene, as well as photos from one of the Greenville Police Departments new License Plate Recognition cameras was used to help put out information to other agencies in an attempt to identify the suspect.
“Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department responded to investigators with the Greenville Police Department on Wednesday (4/28/21) and stated that they had a subject in custody, in an unrelated case, that they believed looked very much like our suspect.”
GPD investigators drove to Calhoun County and interviewed the suspect on the same day.
When the suspect was confronted with the evidence collected by the GPD, he made a full confession to the robbery in Greenville.
Investigators were able to locate the vehicle Hill used in the robbery which matched photos from the scene and the license plate recognition camera.
Lovvorn added, “Investigators then charged the suspect with Robbery 1st and placed a hold on him through Calhoun County in order to extradite the suspect to Greenville when he is released from the charge he is currently being held on in their county.”
“I would like to commend the investigation division for their tireless efforts to solve this violent crime. They have worked around the clock in order to locate and arrest the suspect within two days after the crime occurred.”
