More than a week had gone by with little clues as to who robbed Taco Bell on March 18, but after an additional armed robbery at Circle K and a theft at Walmart, Bainbridge Public Safety caught Edward Moore, 23, with the help of the public.

On March 25, BPS Officer Christopher Prindle was dispatched to Walmart in reference to the theft of a cash register.

Complainant, Ladon Gardner told officers an unidentified black male entered the electronics section and pulled the cash drawer from the cabinet and additionally cut the data cable attached. The suspect then walked through the photo center and grabbed a K-Swiss backpack.

He was filmed exiting the rear emergency exit, where he laid the cash drawer on the ground beneath a group of trees. Prindle reviewed the location, where he found disturbed soil containing footprints.

Mere hours later, Bainbridge Public Safety was dispatched to the Circle K in reference to an armed robbery.

Cashier, Loretta Spann, stated an unknown black male entered the store holding a 9 mm handgun and demanded Spann give him her phone. Spann said she told him she would not give him her phone and that she was about to call 911. Spann said the suspect then came behind the counter and attempted to grab the phone and was unable to retrieve it. He then ran out the north exit of the building and west across Tallahassee Hwy.

When the investigation was turned over to Investigator Chip Nix, the first thing he noticed was the suspect’s jacket and shoes in the Walmart surveillance video were the same as that of the suspect in the Circle K video. After making that connection, Nix also noticed the suspect asked for the Circle K cashier’s phone, which was what had also happened in the Taco Bell case.

“The MO matched,” Nix said. “It made me suspect it was all the same person.”

After viewing footage and communicating with other officers, Nix had a suspect in mind, but he lived in Donalsonville. As part of his investigative strategy, he reached out to the public for where the suspect may be hiding in Bainbridge.

Nix said they received a couple of calls that gave a description of the area he was located in. BPS was able to locate the suspect, arrest him and recover stolen property.

Nix offers his thanks to the public and knows they would not have been able to accomplish this without them.

Moore has admitted to the two armed robberies and thefts. He told officers he was out at night and needed money. He explained it as a crime of opportunity instead of a planned crime spree.

Moore has been charged with two felony counts of armed robbery and one count of theft by taking.