Greene County authorities searching for man who robbed truck stop workers at gunpoint

GREENE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - Greene County deputies are searching for an armed man wanted for robbing a truck stop.

The incident happened at Hood’s Truck Center in Halltown around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.

Investigators say the man walked inside to the office level with a gun and demanded an employee open the safe. He left with thousands of dollars. Investigators think the thief could be from the area. They believe he is a white man in his late 40s to early 50s. He has white hair and a white goatee. He drove off in a red Dodge Avenger with no plates.

Hood’s vice president, Paul Hood, said the man must have known their business.

”He knew when our most vulnerable point in the day was,” said Hood.

He said he thinks the man knew its operation and plans.

”That’s the point of the day, when we first open the safe, the fewest employees are there,” said Hood. “He knew the layout of the building. The spot that he parked in is probably the most inconspicuous spot to park for a getaway.”

Hood said the man walked in with his shotgun hidden in a duffel bag. He then confronted employees with information he somehow knew.

”One of my employees was armed. He had a pistol in his pocket,” said Hood. “Evidently, this person knew that. He asked if they had his gun on him to leave it on the table.”

Deputy Paige Rippee with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said he took employee cell phones.

”One of the cell phones has already been recovered,” said Deputy Rippee. “But it was recovered close to the scene.”

Hood said no one got hurt in the robbery. He said he will add extra security measures to the business.

” There are usually five to 10 people inside the building at any given point, and so that kind of discourages an armed robbery,” said Hood. “We’re going to upgrade some things and do some things differently to make our employees more safe.”

Police said the man is armed and could be dangerous. Call 911 if you know anything about this case.

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