Bar owner says crime not only in East Albany - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Bar owner says crime not only in East Albany

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ALBANY, GA (WALB) -

An East Albany bar owner, whose business and customers were robbed at gunpoint Tuesday night, says he doesn't want people to think "crime only happens in East Albany."

Norman Reese says the Benchwarmer's Bar on Sylvester Road was open one night after the robbery, and that many of the same customers returned.

Tuesday night two masked men with guns burst into the bar and fired a shot that hit very near a woman singing karaoke in the back.

They took the customer's wallets and money from the cash register.  Reese said he can't believe the gunman came so close to killing the woman for so little money about $400 dollars.

"If you are listening to this man, you know you get 20 years for just the robbery part. If you had killed that woman that'd been death sentence or life in prison.  Is it worth it," said Norman Reese, Shooting Not Stopping Bar Owner.

Reese said he has owned the Benchwarmer Bar for 11 years, and this is the first serious problem he has ever had there.  He said crime happens everywhere, and doesn't want people to think East Albany is a trouble spot.

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