Award Offered for Apologetic Robber

An award of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an apologetic teenage bandit who robbed a Newbury Park store earlier this month.

On Dec. 6, shortly after 4 p.m., a tall, slender white man about 18 years old, wearing a skull mask and a dark hooded sweatshirt--entered Mail Boxes Etc., 1560 Newbury Road, through an unlocked rear door.

The would-be robber pointed a .38-caliber revolver at the store’s owner, Ken Dickey, but ran from the store when the proprietor refused to give him money and told him to leave.

After fleeing, the man went down the street and entered the Garden, a landscaping supply store at 1710 Newbury Road. He pulled his gun on a clerk and demanded money.

The robber apologized as the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. The man fled the store with the money and was last seen running behind an adjacent business.

An hour later, the thief called the Garden and told an employee that he was sorry he had robbed the store.

Anyone with information regarding the robber’s identity is asked to call Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (805) 494-TALK. Callers may remain anonymous.