Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the recent slew of convenience store robberies in Marshalltown.
The suspect, Jarvas Mitchell, 18, of Marshalltown, remains in custody after police received information that led to the collection of evidence and his arrest early Tuesday morning.
Mitchell faces two counts of first-degree robbery, a Class B felony, for allegedly robbing the Git-n-Go, 3302 S. Center St. Dec. 13, and the Kwik Star at 2500 S. Center St. Jan. 24. Both stores were robbed at gunpoint.
Capt. Chris Jones, special services division for the Marshalltown Police Department, said that Mitchell may not be the only suspect they are looking for in connection with these robberies, so he emphasizes that the public stay alert and report any leads they might have to the police.
"There are available leads that some of the robberies are connected with one another," he said.
After reviewing several hours of surveillance tapes and using investigative profiling techniques, police were able to narrow their search and close in on Mitchell, Jones said. Police obtained a search warrant for Mitchell's home and discovered clothes that matched those worn by the robber in the surveillance tapes of the two holdups.
He added that Mitchell also fits the description of the suspect identified in surveillance tapes in the two robberies for which he is being charged.
"We have received information and followed up with every lead we've received," Jones said.
Thanks to area businesses offering money to help catch the robbers, Marshalltown police are now offering a $1,300 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of suspects in connection with any of the robberies that have taken place since Dec. 5.
"The community support and business reward that we have been able to receive are the biggest assets in solving these robberies," Jones said.
Mitchell had his initial court appearance Tuesday morning where the court appointed a public defender. His bond is set at $50,000.
Anyone with any information, no matter how small, should contact the MDP, Jones said. Marshalltown Police Department can be reached at 641-754-5725.
