Quick work by local law enforcement and help from citizens led to the arrest of a suspect who allegedly robbed the Manchester Dollar General late Wednesday afternoon
According to authorities, Joseph Davis McInnis entered the Dollar General at 918 Hillsboro Blvd. (near Food Lion) at approximately 7:33 p.m. Wednesday and threatened the clerk with a black pistol. He left the scene with cash from the business.
According to Manchester Police Department officials, officers and investigators were able to respond to the scene quickly and put out information to the public that included photos and a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
“We were able to put photos and information out to the public through social media in a matter of minutes through social media,” explained Manchester Police Department assistant chief Adam Floied. “We immediately started getting calls from citizens saying they had seen someone who matched that description and in the car (on the exit 114 side of town).”
Floied explained that Manchester Police and Coffee County Sheriff’s Department deputies flooded the area. Another citizen phoned police after they observed someone matching McInnis’ description behaving strange and shutting off his vehicle lights when deputies drove by.
Deputies were able to locate McInnis, who has an address in Stone Mountain, Ga. After he was arrested, officers found a loaded handgun near the driver’s seat and also found an additional high-capacity magazine nearby.
McInnis has been charged by Manchester Police with aggravated robbery. He has also been charged with aggravated robbery by Murfreesboro Police for a similar robbery that happened earlier in the day at CVS in Murfreesboro. Floied said McInnis is a convicted felon and faces weapons charges from the ATF.
“Local citizens really came through big for us on this case,” said Floied. “Without their help we may not have been able to capture him so quickly. We also got a lot of help from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department. A real team effort by everyone.”
NOTE – an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the charges as aggravated burglary rather than aggravated robbery. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.
