Kenneth Neil Rowan, 37, was taken into custody by police Thursday (March 28) afternoon in connection with an aggravated robbery at the EZ Mart on Country Club in Fort Smith.
Officers saw Rowan riding as a passenger in a Ford Taurus traveling west in the 1700 block of Fresno around 2:20 p.m., according to a police report. As they approached the vehicle, Rowan was observed trying to hide something inside the vehicle.
Officers found a loaded .45 caliber handgun underneath the passenger seat, the police report states. He was taken into custody without incident.
A Crime Stoppers tip helped identify Rowan, according to police. A warrant was issued for his arrest early Thursday.
Rowan is suspected in the March 21 robbery at the EZ Mart on Country Club.
A white man, believed to be in his early 30s, walked into the store, selected a can of soda from the cooler and approached the cash register, according to a police report.
“When the clerk basically asked him if he would like his two cents in change, the clerk reports this person said he wanted all of the money in the register,” Sgt. Daniel Grubbs, with Fort Smith Police, said.
The clerk told officers that the suspect kept a hand under his jacket, giving the impression he was armed.
Police said the suspect then took off with cash from the drawer.
He was last seen driving dark colored mid to late 90’s model Chevrolet Silverado 4X4, according to a police report. The truck also reportedly has chrome tubular side steps, loud exhaust and chrome bed rail covers.
The suspect is approximately 5’8”, 170 – 180 lbs., and had a thin beard. He was wearing a dark gray jacket over a hooded sweat shirt, blue jeans, dark boots, and a dark colored ball cap with possibly a “Hurley” logo on it, according to the police report.
The incident happened shortly before 11 p.m.
The week before a Van Buren man was arrested after he robbed the EZ Mart on Grand Avenue and the Flash Market on Old Greenwood Road.
