Hart Express EZ Mart robbery suspect remains at large

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor.

HART — The suspect in Sunday night’s strong-arm robbery at the Hart Express EZ Mart convenience store on Polk Road remains at large nearly five days after the crime.

Local police continue to search for the man, described as a white male possibly in his 20s, with a skinny build with short blond hair. He was last seen on foot in Oceana County Monday afternoon, said Lt. Craig Mast of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office. As of Thursday morning, April 23, the suspect has not been captured.

The man was spotted Monday at approximately 4 p.m. in the M-20/Oceana Drive area and fled in a vehicle, Mast said. He was then seen in the Woodrow Road/112th Avenue area and fled on foot. The Lake County K-9 Unit was called in to track the suspect, but the rainfall made tracking difficult, Mast said. Police continue their pursuit of the suspect.

The suspect fled the robbery scene in a green Dodge extended cab 4×4 with an undisclosed amount of cash and appeared to head west on Polk Road, said Hart Police Chief Dan Leimback. He allegedly pushed a female cashier out of the way and took money from an open register, Leimback said.

If you have information, contact the Hart Police Department at 873-2488; Mason/Oceana County Central Dispatch at 869-5858; or the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office at 873-2121.