A Carter County man faces an armed robbery charge after police say he robbed the Hampton Pharmacy at gunpoint on Thursday shortly before Noon.
Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said officers with his department arrested Jason Stout, of 297 Keenburg Road, on Thursday night when officers served a search warrant at his residence. Investigators charged Stout with armed robbery, and Lunceford said additional charges may be filed against Stout pending the outcome of the investigation.
Around 11:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to Hampton Pharmacy, located at 339 Highway 321, in Hampton, after pharmacy staff called 911 to report a robbery. Witnesses told officers that a man, who police have now identified as Stout, entered the pharmacy with a mask over his face, brandished a handgun and demanded prescription medication. Stout then reportedly fled the scene in an older model red or maroon Ford Explorer. Witnesses reported the right-side rear window of the SUV was covered with a black trashbag.
Shortly after the robbery, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office released a description of the vehicle and security camera footage of the suspect to the public and asked for help in identifying the man involved in the robbery.
“We received a tip from a citizen after we released the description of the vehicle,” Lunceford said on Thursday night. “It turned out to be good information.”
That tip led officers to the home at 297 Keenburg Road. Lunceford said officers found the suspect vehicle in the driveway but no one answered the door at the home.
Officers staged around the home as they attempted to ascertain if anyone was inside the residence. Officers had a section of Keenburg Road blocked off for a few hours as they continued to investigate the case. Lunceford said investigators secured search warrants and located Stout inside.
“He had been in there the whole time,” Lunceford said, adding Stout was arrested without further incident. “We recovered the weapon and the drugs.”
Lunceford said investigators took Stout to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office to interview him following his arrest. The Sheriff said his officers were not familiar with Stout prior to the robbery. “The best we can tell, he has no record,” Lunceford said.
As a result of the robbery, schools in the area went into lockdown Thursday as a safety precaution according to Director of Carter County Schools Dr. Kevin Ward.
Hampton Elementary School, which is across the road from Hampton Pharmacy, along with Hampton High School and Valley Forge Elementary were placed in what Ward described as a “hard lockdown.” During a “hard lockdown,” school staff secures the perimeter, all students housed in modular classroom units are brought into the main school building, and students and staff lockdown inside the classrooms.
“Our School Resource Officers did a good job getting the students inside from the modular units,” Ward said, adding he commended the officers and staff for quick actions to ensure the safety of the students.
The three schools later transitioned into a “soft lockdown” where the perimeter remained secured, but the students and staff were free to move around inside the main school buildings. Ward said the lockdown was fully lifted around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.