Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A California man apprehended in Texas after being accused of robbing two gas stations in Quay County netted just $120 in those heists, according to new information filed in court last week regarding the cases.
Darious Parker, 28, of Eureka, California, officially was charged May 4 in Tucumcari magistrate court with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The robbery counts are second-degree felonies that could lead up to nine years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Parker eventually will be extradited back to New Mexico and held without bond. He also faces charges of attempted robbery in Oldham County, Texas.
According to a complaint filed by New Mexico State Police officer Juan Sanchez-Martinez, a cashier at the Circle K near Interstate 40 in Tucumcari reported she was robbed at gunpoint the morning of May 1, and the suspect fled the scene. Sanchez advised the cashier to close the store until the investigation was completed.
The cashier said the robber had his face covered and was holding a black gun with a laser attached. He put a black bag down on the counter, pointed the gun and advised her to place the money into it, which totaled about $120.
The officer was notified during his investigation at Circle K of another robbery at the Valero station, also known as a Yesway, in San Jon.
According to surveillance video at the San Jon store, the robber walked to a cash register, placed a black bag on the counter and brandished a handgun at the cashier. The cashier, who said he asked the robber whether he was “serious,” then ran away towards the back of the store. The robber tried to open the cash register but was unable to do so, then walked out of the store.
As the robber walked toward his vehicle, the cashier chased him. As the robber drove away, he fired his gun once toward the cashier, causing him to run back inside the store.
No one was injured in either heist.
A Texas state trooper informed New Mexico State Police before 1 p.m. that day the suspect, identified as Parker, had been apprehended in Vega, Texas, after another attempted robbery there.
No attorney was listed for Parker in online court records.