Enrique Sabedra Jr., 39, of 1509 Sycamore, was arrested just after 2 a.m. And charged with robbery. Also arrested was Michael Lee Munoz, 50, of 904 Abrams, who was apprehended alongside Sabedra and charged with robbery.

According to Sgt. Tony Everett, public information officer with the BSPD, a police officer was getting ready to taking a meal break at the Travel Centers of America truck stop when he spotted the two suspects running from the gas station.

“Officer Mike Calley saw the two suspects running along Interstate Highway 20,” said Everett. “It appeared the two were looking for a way to cross the Interstate.”

Everett said Calley, assisted by deputies from the Howard County Sheriff's Office, pursued the two men and eventually took them into custody in the 800 block of W. Interstate Highway 20, a short distance from the Exxon station.

The alleged assailants are not believed to have used a weapon in the robbery, according to Everett, and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

“According to the report, the two men approached the clerk at the Exxon station and told them, 'This is a robbery,'” said Everett. “They took the clerk back to the store's bathroom and told them to stay in there. The clerk stayed there until they heard the door chime, at which time they believed the men had left. However, when the clerk opened the bathroom door, they saw the two men running out the door with the station's cash box.”

The cash box, which contained an undetermined amount of cash, was recovered when officers arrested the two men, according to Everett.

At the time of this report, both men were in the custody of the Howard County Jail awaiting arraignment.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it