COLERAIN – One man is behind bars and two others are sought in connection with an armed robbery of a Colerain business Thursday afternoon.

Timothy DaQuan Bradshaw, 18, of 113 Meadow Road near Murfreesboro was arrested later Thursday in Hertford County. He stands charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault on a female.

Bradshaw was transported to Bertie-Martin Regional Jail by Bertie Sheriff’s Detective Tommy Northcott. He was incarcerated under a $40,000 secured bond.

According to Bertie Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Ed Pittman, his investigation of the alleged robbery revealed that Bradshaw and an unknown accomplice entered the Colerain Country Market, located on Main Street, at around 1:30 p.m.

Pittman said the accomplice selected a few items to purchase and was standing in the checkout line as the clerk was dealing with a customer at the counter. After that customer left the store, Bradshaw, using a beige sweater, and his accomplice, using a blue bandana, covered the bottom portion of their faces.

“At that time, the accomplice produced a small caliber handgun and pointed it at the clerk while Mr. Bradshaw went behind the counter where he attempted to get inside the cash register,” Pittman said.

Pittman added that Bradshaw failed to access the cash register. Bradshaw then allegedly became involved in a brief tussle with the clerk.

“(Bradshaw) pushed her (clerk) to the floor and then yelled, ‘let’s go, let’s go’,” Pittman said.

Pittman added that the clerk was injured during the scuffle and was taken to a local hospital. He did not know the extent of her injuries.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told Pittman they saw two black males exit the store and head towards the rear of the business where they got into a maroon colored Ford passenger car, one occupied by a third black male. The car sped off.

Pittman got a big break in his investigation when one witness told him they saw the vehicle when it first arrived and parked at the rear of the store.

“That witness thought something looked out of the ordinary and jotted down the license tag number of the vehicle,” Pittman said.

Using that information, Pittman traced the vehicle to a woman in Murfreesboro. In the meantime, Hertford County Sheriff’s deputies were already aware of the robbery and due to Colerain’s close proximity to the county line, were on the lookout for the suspect vehicle.

Later, a Hertford County Deputy in Murfreesboro was able to gain information on the whereabouts of Bradshaw, leading to his subsequent arrest.

“We really appreciate the assistance of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office,” Bertie Sheriff Greg Atkins said. “We’ve always had a good working relationship with Sheriff (Juan) Vaughan and his staff and hopefully they know if they ever need our assistance, all they have to do is ask and we’ll be there.”

Atkins was very thankful that no one was seriously injured during the robbery attempt.

“Anytime a weapon is drawn and aimed, bad things can happen,” he said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt and we, with the help of Hertford County, were able to take one man off the street and have built some solid leads on the other suspect before either can again place innocent people in harm’s way.”

Pittman said his investigation continues as he seeks the identity of Bradshaw’s accomplice during the robbery as well as the individual who was waiting in the get-away vehicle. He described the robbery accomplice as a black male approximately 5’-7” and weighing 130 pounds.

Those with information are urged to contact the Bertie Sheriff’s Office at 794-5330.