LEWISTON-WOODVILLE – A man suspected of using a sawed-off shotgun to rob a convenience store here is behind bars under a $100,000 cash bond.

Jamien Milton Peele, 27, of Thompson Drive, Lewiston-Woodville, turned himself in later in the day on Dec. 6 after he allegedly robbed the Sunoco Convenience Mart earlier that morning.

Peele was charged with three felonies – robbery with dangerous weapon, possession of a weapon of mass destruction and second degree kidnapping. He was also charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor.

According to Lewiston-Woodville Police Chief J. Winston Panton, two clerks of the convenience mart were outside in front of the store at around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 where they were on a cigarette break. There, the husband of the female clerk joined the employees.

“They noticed a person emerging from the shadows, who produced a sawed-off shotgun and ordered the three individuals into the store,” Panton said. “The suspect then pushed the clerk’s husband to the floor and ordered him to lay still.”

At that point, Panton said the suspect forced the two clerks behind the counter, holding the shotgun to the female’s back. He then ordered the male clerk to fill a plastic bag with all the money in the cash register.

“The clerk obliged and the suspect left the store on foot, heading back in the same direction from which he came,” Panton said.

Panton said both clerks recognized the suspect by his voice, his unique walk and got a partial view of his face….he was wearing a mask.

Panton got the name of the suspect and, with the help of two Bertie Sheriff’s deputies, went to two residences where relatives of the suspect live.

“The suspect was not at either residence, but I left my contact information with one relative and Mr. Peele came to my office at around 10 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 6 where he turned himself in without incident,” Panton said.

“Even though he surrendered, he denied the robbery and asked for a lawyer. I could not question him further after that,” Panton added.

Panton thanked Bertie deputies Jackson and Thomas for their assistance.

“Our sheriff (John Holley) came out that morning to see if he could help,” Panton said. “The sheriff takes things seriously in his county, especially a crime like this involving a sawed-off shotgun.”

Peele made his first court appearance on Dec. 8 and remains incarcerated in the Bertie-Martin Regional Jail.