A grocery clerk said it was “very frightening” for Safeway employees when they discovered one of their fellow employees had been tied up by an armed robber early Thursday morning, Aug. 4.An El Paso County Sheriff’s Department press release described the suspect as a white male about 5′ 10″, weighing 170 lbs, in his early 30s. Surveillance photos show him wearing a dark ball cap, a button-down long-sleeve brown shirt and dark pants. He carried a blue duffle bag out of the store, and was reported as armed with a semi-automatic handgun.Jeff Stroh, public relations manager for Safeway, said any time an event like this occurs, it is natural to expect upset employees. Safeway offers trained counselors to its employees to help them deal with the stress of a robbery. Stroh said quite a few employees took advantage of the counseling.Safeway also trains employees how to handle an armed-robbery situation, but for security reasons, Stroh said he could not go give any details. While customers are not normally in danger during a holdup, Stroh said both employees and customers should always put their personal safety first, if they find themselves in that type of situation.Stroh pointed out the biggest danger to a grocery store customer is usually petty theft, and it can be prevented with a little common sense. He said people should always be aware of their surroundings, in both the store and the parking lot. In a small town environment, especially, people are often more trusting and forget it only takes a second for someone to steal a purse left unattended in a shopping cart. Also, customers should not flash the contents of their wallets at the checkout stand.Crime statistics available on the county sheriff’s Web site also show car break-ins are on the rise in the Falcon area. Therefore, they recommend placing all valuable items in the trunk or out of sight before leaving the car.Sheriff’s office investigators urge anyone with information about the Safeway robbery to call Crime Stoppers at 719-390-5555. They are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
