September 8, 2003
Americus-- Just before midnight Sunday, the Flash Foods Store on Highway 49 in Americus was robbed.
Two hours later, the Crown Station on Tripp Street was also held up by the same men.
The total pay-off: Sixty dollars. Now, the two men accused of the crimes could face a maximum of forty years in prison if they're found guilty.
11:45 Sunday night, 23-year-old Charles Franklin Cliatt Junior walked into this Flash Foods Store. Sgt. Brett Murray says Cliatt, "Middled around the store for a few minutes, came up and made a minor purchase and when the cashier opened the register to put the money in he reached across and grabbed what he could and took of out the store running."
Police say Cliatt ran behind the store and hopped in a car driven by 24-year-old Christopher Lee McAlvain. Two hours later, Cliatt walked into this Crown Station one mile away. Murray says, "We got a call, same thing, same description, once we viewed the tapes we knew who he was."
Police were led to an abandoned house on Rockdale Subdivision Loop. They found their robbery suspect hiding out on the roof of the house."
We picked up McAlvain up 4:00 and found Cliatt hanging off the roof at 4:30 Monday morning. Police say their attempt at a big payday will payoff with some serious jail time, if they're convicted, "In this instance that's probably what led to the second one, there was no big payday the first time so they do the second one and bam here they are, looking at who knows what."
Forty years--both robbery by sudden snatching charges carry a maximum of twenty years behind bars. Both men have a criminal history, Christopher Lee McAlvain is on probation and Franklin Cliatt is on parole.
Posted at 4:20 p.m. by melissa.kill@walb.com
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