DRIVE THRU ROBBERY SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

Elyria – The suspect in the December 22nd robbery of the Ten-to-Ten Drive Thru on Cleveland Street in Elyria was arrested early Saturday morning in downtown Elyria.


An alert Elyria Police Officer patrolling downtown Elyria spotted a man matching the description of the suspect in the robbery. Officer Joe Figula Jr. saw the man on Broad Street wearing a blue jacket at first and then after getting into a blue pickup he changed into a Harley Davidson jacket. Figula followed the man and along with additional Officers stopped him on East Ave at Second Street. After pulling up photos of the man from the Drive Thru surveillance camera he believed he had the right man.


Figula contacted the clerk that was robbed and made arrangements for another Officer to pick the clerk up to make an identification of the suspect at the stop.

While waiting for the clerk the man sat on the back of his pickup truck and spoke with Officers. He told them that he was on parole for robbing the Cleveland Street Subway. In fact it was 4 years to the day that he had robbed a clerk at Subway by knifepoint. (SEE SUBWAY STORY)

When the Officer arrived with the clerk she was able to make a positive ID on 26 year old Johnnie L. McCormick of Elyria. McCormick was then taken into custody and charged with Robbery.


The robbery at the Drive Thru occurred around 8:30 p.m. on December 22nd when the suspect entered the store and asked for a bottle of Parrot Bay. It was then that the man displayed a knife and demanded all of the money. The man fled on foot and although Elyria Police and a K9 from North Ridgeville searched the area they were unable to find him. One week later the clerk notified Police that the same man entered the store. He did not rob the store and was able to leave the area again before the Police arrived.


In 2007 McCormick robbed the Cleveland Street Subway on December 14th around 8:30 and then again on December 22nd around 8:30 p.m. In both cases the man entered the store and used a knife. On December 28th the man was spotted by an alert manager lurking around the store and called Police. The man was arrested, charged and was convicted. The manager didn’t have a big problem spotting the man as he was wearing the same clothing on the 28th as he was in the first two robberies.


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