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Message started by fitgrl on 11/17/08 at 8:26pm

Title: Pig Robbed Again
Post by fitgrl on 11/17/08 at 8:26pm

Anyone heard about this?  Heard it happened Saturday night at closing.  It was another armed robbery.  PLease post if you have any details!

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 11/18/08 at 8:10am

I'm working on getting details and will post what I can when I get them.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 11/18/08 at 8:45am

We have been contacted by Councilman Gene Smith who advised that he will look into it and let us know when more details become available.  We'll post the info as we receive it.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 11/18/08 at 2:06pm

We didn't receive a follow-up call from anyone, so we went straight to the source and asked them.  Here's what happened:

One of the managers was robbed on Saturday night after the store closed, on his way to his car.  Two individuals robbed him in the alley between Piggly Wiggly and Studio 1.

Hoover PD was on the scene within 3 minutes of the call.  The officer informed the manager that he was on Alford when he received the call.

Thank God the manager was not hurt in this robbery.

The bad:  we still have bad guys coming up to Bluff Park.

The good:  police response was quicker than last time (August 2006 - 12 minutes to respond).

As a forum, we can't really give an opinion on it, so we'll refrain.  It's important that residents of Bluff Park continue to keep our eyes and ears open.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Matt and Amanda on 11/18/08 at 3:34pm

I am glad to hear the response time has improved so much over the past 2 years. I think this shows what an involved community can achieve.

Thanks so much for keeping us informed. This is a great website and a big help.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Mountaintopper on 11/19/08 at 12:39am

Piggly Wiggly should add a few 500 watt lights in that alley with motion detectors on them so when anyone is there, you see them..  Small investment with a big payoff.

I use them at home on my deck, backyard & on the workshop & they are a great deterrent to those that like the dark. They are much quiter & cheaper than many of the so called watch dogs we hear at night.

Please note: (I am a dog owner, 95 lbs. Lab, but he likes living inside, we don't mind, he's a family member, we treat him as such).

Light is the number 1 deterrant to crime.  Video is #2.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by bparkian on 11/19/08 at 8:13am

Was the security guard around?  I hope that the guard stays with the closing managers until they are safely in their car.  It is so dark and deserted up there at night.  I agree MORE LIGHTS would help - especially in that alley.  
I wonder if the police have any suspects or if they've arrested anyone.  There are only a few businesses open after 8:00 and it worries me that they are easy targets up there.  Maybe they all need to install video cameras so we can catch these "bad guys".  I'm sure word spreads through the criminal community that BP is an easy robbery at night if no one ever gets caught.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by bpresident on 11/19/08 at 9:45am


bparkian wrote:
Was the security guard around?  I hope that the guard stays with the closing managers until they are safely in their car.  It is so dark and deserted up there at night.  I agree MORE LIGHTS would help - especially in that alley.  
I wonder if the police have any suspects or if they've arrested anyone.  There are only a few businesses open after 8:00 and it worries me that they are easy targets up there.  Maybe they all need to install video cameras so we can catch these "bad guys".  I'm sure word spreads through the criminal community that BP is an easy robbery at night if no one ever gets caught.


Actually, it's quite the opposite.  The Hoover PD does a great job in apprehending the suspects in these cases.  The last time a robbery occured the suspects were in custody within 10 days of the event, thanks to extensive detective work on the part of Hoover PD.

The key will be to continue the police presence in the area.  The word spreading should be  "don't go up to Bluff Park any more because they have more cops around", which was, and continues to be, our goal.

We're on the right track and have come a long way from 2006, with some small obstacles still in the way.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by fitgrl on 11/20/08 at 2:13pm

In the police responses in Hoover section in the paper it says that there was a robbery in the amount of $6000.  Sounds like money from inside the store - not just on the manager's person as he was getting in the car....  Also, robbery means ARMED.  I'm surprised there aren't more concerned BP residents about this.  

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by nickel4al on 11/20/08 at 2:22pm

I think everyone is concerned but there is only so much that can be done without seeming like a neighborhood of vigialantes (sp?).  The best thing that people can do is be aware of their surroundings.  If we notice anything suspicious we should immediately call the non-emergency number for the city, not just sit around and say maybe a neighbor will call.  I'm sure whoever did the robbing lives in the area and probably knew what time the manager would be leaving and that he would be alone.  I'm sure they didn't just wake up one day and say hey, lets rob a grocery store we know nothing about...  Maybe if people would have called and reported weird people around at weird times this wouldn't have happened.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by RockviewResident on 11/20/08 at 3:16pm

Well, the only problem is most everyone is asleep that time of night, not hanging around the Pig.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 11/20/08 at 3:39pm


nickel4al wrote:
I think everyone is concerned but there is only so much that can be done without seeming like a neighborhood of vigialantes (sp?).  The best thing that people can do is be aware of their surroundings.  If we notice anything suspicious we should immediately call the non-emergency number for the city, not just sit around and say maybe a neighbor will call.  I'm sure whoever did the robbing lives in the area and probably knew what time the manager would be leaving and that he would be alone.  I'm sure they didn't just wake up one day and say hey, lets rob a grocery store we know nothing about...  Maybe if people would have called and reported weird people around at weird times this wouldn't have happened.


The non-emergency number is 822-5300. According to Hoover PD, they don't care if you call if you see something or someone suspicious.  The very worst that can happen is that the person(s) is supposed to be there.  This might be a good time to revisit the Neighborhood Watch section of the Bluff Park web site (http://www.bluffparkal.org/neighborhood_watch.htm) and start forming more Neighborhood Watch blocks.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bamafan501 on 11/20/08 at 5:47pm


fitgrl wrote:
In the police responses in Hoover section in the paper it says that there was a robbery in the amount of $6000.  Sounds like money from inside the store - not just on the manager's person as he was getting in the car....  Also, robbery means ARMED.  I'm surprised there aren't more concerned BP residents about this.  




Robbery does not actually always mean armed robbery.  If i were to physically take something from you just by force it would be considered a robbery.  Secondly, the manager could have had the store's money on his person to take to the bank after closing.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by fitgrl on 11/22/08 at 9:44am

Just to clarify after speaking specifically to the manager himself...

Leaving around 10:30 at night
Two men, faces covered, guns drawn
Forced to go back inside and empty all the money that was at the Pig
He was not personally robbed, Piggly Wiggly was

This could have had a much more tragic ending and that is what scares me.  It is good that this didn't happen during store hours but it was still an innocent resident of Bluff Park whose life was threatened.  

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 11/22/08 at 10:15am


fitgrl wrote:
Just to clarify after speaking specifically to the manager himself...

Leaving around 10:30 at night
Two men, faces covered, guns drawn
Forced to go back inside and empty all the money that was at the Pig
He was not personally robbed, Piggly Wiggly was

This could have had a much more tragic ending and that is what scares me.  It is good that this didn't happen during store hours but it was still an innocent resident of Bluff Park whose life was threatened.  


I suppose I didn't ask enough questions.  Good work on the follow up.

Solutions?


Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by JBH on 11/22/08 at 11:39am

Don't park in the alley when you have to close.

Don't be going to your car alone when you close.

If they close up and leave at a regular time, maybe a patrol car could arrange to be there.  There aren't that many businesses closing up here on the mountain at that time of night.  And they could keep an eye out for people hanging out in cars or just hanging around at that hour.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 12/17/08 at 4:21pm

We just received the following press release from Hoover Police Department:

HOOVER POLICE DEPARTMENT
100 Municipal Drive
Hoover, Alabama 35216
Administration (205) 444-7700 Emergency (205) 822-5300
www.hooverpd.com
Nicholas C. Derzis, Chief of Police

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, from the office of Chief Nicholas Derzis:
Contact:
Captain Jim Coker
(205) 739-7162 Office
cokerj@ci.hoover.al.us

On Saturday, November 15, 2008, the Hoover Police received a call of a
robbery at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store located in Bluff Park. The robbery
was reported to have occurred at 22:30 (10:30pm). The store manager reported
that two black males approached him as he exited the store, forced him back
inside at gunpoint, and robbed him, taking money which belonged to the store.

The Hoover Police Department has made the following arrests in this
case, which is considered a “staged” robbery in order to conceal a theft:

Eric Cardell Davis, B/M, 32 years old, DOB 03-10-1976. Davis was a manager
at the Bluff Park Piggly Wiggly, and was listed as the victim on the report. Davis
was arrested Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. Davis resides in Bluff Park.
A warrant was obtained Dec. 16 for Theft of Property 1st Degree. The bond
amount was $12,000.00. Davis was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail
December 16.

Dwayne Michael Ford, B/M, 34 years old, DOB 04-03-1974. Ford is the
roommate of Eric Davis, and resides in Bluff Park. Ford was arrested on Friday,
Dec. 12, 2008. A warrant was obtained December 12 for Theft of Property 1st
Degree. The bond amount is $1,000.00. Ford was transferred to the Jefferson
County Jail Dec. 12.

Nathaniel King IV, B/M, 23 years old, DOB 02-08-1985. King is the brother of
Dwayne Ford. He resides in Bessemer. A warrant was obtained Dec. 16 for
Theft of Property 1st Degree bond amount $1,000.00. King turned himself in the
night of December 16.


We commend the Hoover Police Department for a job well done!

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Guy on 12/17/08 at 4:50pm

You know, after this initially happened I was at the Pig and drove down the alley that the manager said he parked in. There really isn't even a place to park a car in the alley and there would be no reason for the manager to do so. I was tempted to get on here and give my opinion that the whole thing was a setup/inside job but held my tongue.  Looks like my suspicions were correct. I'm glad this wasn't a true robbery but looks like the guys that own the Pig need to do a little better job on who they hire. This is just my opinion but I have noticed some of the employees who now work at the Pig seem a little shady. Not too long ago it used to be young high school kids who worked there but its changed. I dropped my wallet in the parking lot a couple of years ago and before I even noticed it was missing someone had run up a bunch of purchases on my credit card at a Food World and gas station over in Bessemer. No comment.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by teatucker on 12/17/08 at 5:35pm

Thank you to the Hoover Police on this and for the posting of the presser.
How selfish of that Piggly Wiggly employee to make up the story and get the community a bit up set.
Still, does not mean that things like this dont happen (anywhere), everyone still needs to practice safe shopping and working, especially now that we are in holiday time. Dont walk to your car on your own and keep your eyes open.


and on a similar note on safety, make sure ladies when you go to the restroom in a public bathroom that you check shoes under the other stalls... that they are (women) shoes. A friend of mine was attacked in a restroom by a man who was hiding in a stall and when she "sat" down he pulled her legs and she fell and he started to attack her. Her husband was outside the restrooms and heard her screaming, ran in and got beat up as well. THis was an older couple and happened a few years ago, the man arrested and charged (he is up for parole this year) He was hiding for the first (I am sorry to say it this way) white woman that came in (he was black and upset of being fired by a white boss) to rape her.  So just watch when you go  in a public bathroom or evening a dressing room in department stores. My friend did not know the attacker or had ever had any doings with the company the man was fired from.. she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Lucysmom on 12/17/08 at 7:35pm

I, too, thought the story of the robbery was suspicious.  In response to Bluff Park Guy's comment about losing his billfold at the Pig -- Several months ago I found a billfold on the pavement in one of the parking spots right by the front door of the Pig.  I turned it in to the manager at the Pig -- a black male.  For the next few weeks every time I was in the Pig and saw that manager I asked him if anyone had come in to claim the billfold and he said no.  He also told me that there was no money in the billfold -- only credit cards and the all the credit cards were in different names and that he had been unable to contact anyone from the names on the credit cards.  I did not look in the billfold before I turned it in to the manager.  But I guess if I ever find anything again, I will turn it in to the police and not to an employee of the business where it was found.  That is sad!!

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Mrs. B on 12/18/08 at 8:02am

I see by this morning's paper that a manager and some of his roommates cooked up the robbery tale....Sad.....guess their Christmas will not be so merry.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by RockviewResident on 12/19/08 at 11:35am

Absolutely pathetic that we have people like this working in Bluff Park.  The Pig needs to have better background checks.  I can't imagine this is their first run in with the law.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by TigerLily08 on 12/19/08 at 8:28pm

I can't confirm this butI heard that the Pig in Liberty Park had a similar experience (safe was take from the premises).

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by fitgrl on 12/19/08 at 11:31pm

I guess I'm confused, teatucker, who were the 2 PW employees that were in on the robbery?  I only read of the one manager.  

I'm so glad to know that there weren't actually armed and dangerous men lurking in the alley late at night but am so sad that this manager would do such a stupid stupid thing.  They stole $6k, split three ways.  He had a good job and had been with the PW corp for a while before coming to BP.  I can't believe he would think that would be worth it.   :(

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by teatucker on 12/21/08 at 2:04pm


fitgrl wrote:
I guess I'm confused, teatucker, who were the 2 PW employees that were in on the robbery?  I only read of the one manager.  

I'm so glad to know that there weren't actually armed and dangerous men lurking in the alley late at night but am so sad that this manager would do such a stupid stupid thing.  They stole $6k, split three ways.  He had a good job and had been with the PW corp for a while before coming to BP.  I can't believe he would think that would be worth it.   :(



manager of PW and I am sorry I thought i read that the roommate was an employee or had worked there or at one time had worked there.

Title: Re: Pig Robbed Again
Post by Bluff Park Forum Admin on 01/26/09 at 4:28pm

We just received the following press release from the Hoover Police Department:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, from the office of Chief Nicholas Derzis:
January 26, 2009
Contact:
Captain Jim Coker
(205) 739-7162 Office
(205) 739-7300 Fax
cokerj@ci.hoover.al.us

This is additional information relating to the final arrest in the reported robbery of
the Piggly Wiggly in Bluff Park.

On Saturday, November 15, 2008, the Hoover Police received a call of a robbery
at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store located in Bluff Park. The robbery was
reported to have occurred at 22:30 (10:30pm). The store manager reported that
two black males approached him as he exited the store, forced him back inside
at gunpoint, and robbed him, taking money which belonged to the store.

Rodrico Antwon Files, B/M DOB 01/09/89, of Bessemer, has been charged
with Theft 1st Degree. His bond is $1,000. Files acted as the driver during the
theft, which was a staged robbery. No photo of Files is available at this time.
Files turned himself in at the Jefferson County Jail on January 23, 2009.

The Hoover Police Department previously made the following arrests in
this case:
Eric Cardell Davis, B/M, 32 years old, DOB 03-10-1976
Dwayne Michael Ford, B/M, 34 years old, DOB 04-03-1974.
Nathaniel King IV, B/M, 23 years old, DOB 02-08-1985

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