Suspect nabbed in regional Dollar General hold-ups

by Nicole Stokes

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department — in conjunction with officers from Mississippi and Louisiana — has arrested a suspect wanted for a weekend armed robbery at the Dollar General in Roxie.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Mardarious King of Hattiesburg, allegedly robbed the store — located at the corner of U.S. Highway 84 and Mississippi Highway 33 — around 9:45 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The local sheriff’s department received a call around 9:50 p.m., from the on-duty cashier, who said the store had just been held up.
Officers were dispatched and arrived on scene at 10:01 p.m.
“The clerk said it was a guy who looked like he had a bad eye, and we got the (store) video,” Franklin County Sheriff Tom Tindle said.

The suspect was described as having on a camouflage jacket and red pants, and driving a light charcoal-gray Nissan Altima.

The FCSD received word at 11:50 p.m., that same evening the suspect had allegedly robbed another store in Louisiana.
“Come to find out, the same suspect fitting the description had allegedly robbed (places) in Adams County, Lincoln County and Concordia Parish,” Tindle noted.

“Two (of those were) in one day — Concordia Parish and the local Dollar General location.

“A few days to a week before, he allegedly hit Lincoln County ... so he was hitting everywhere. He had those (same) clothes on pretty much at most of them. There was some other places robbed (that) he just had a sweatshirt on over that.

“He had slippers on (in the video taken from the robbery in Adams County) and had slippers on in (the video from) the local robbery. He was wearing that, and he had that jacket on under that black one.

“Come to find out, he was living in a hotel in Natchez — that’s how we caught him. We found his clothes. He was supposedly homeless; he just allegedly robbed to get enough money to stay in a hotel and buy enough gas for the car.”

King was taken into custody in Adams County at the hotel he was reportedly staying at on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

“Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Dewayne Whetstone and other investigators in Natchez, Lincoln County and Concordia Parish worked together and apprehended the suspect,” Tindle said.

“He’s still locked up in Adams County. We got a warrant and we’ll get him after they’re through with him.”

King is also reportedly wanted in Jackson and along the Gulf Coast for armed robbery. Officials confirmed there were no injuries reported in the local store robbery.