One man was taken into custody late Wednesday following some tense moments at the scene of yet another Elkhart armed robbery. Elkhart Police were notified just after 10 p.m. of an armed robbery at a Phillips 66 convenience store near the 2700 block of Lexington Avenue. Officers quickly responded as the man tried to flee behind the store and back toward the river. Emergency crews were called and staged at the store as police searched the area. City 911 dispatch said the suspect, 25-year-old Charles E. Rodgers of Elkhart, was taken into custody about 10:20 p.m. The 23-year-old victim of the robbery reported that he was robbed at gun point and hit in the head several times with the butt of a gun. Before this, four robberies of businesses and a fifth just outside city limits have kept Elkhart police busy since Tuesday evening. They include:
- 1st Source Bank at 1751 W. Lexington Ave. Wednesday. Police say the suspect, who indicated he had a weapon, was a white man with a scruffy gray beard driving a dark-colored passenger car.
- Low Bob’s Discount Tobacco store at 1234 Johnson St. also was targeted Wednesday morning. The robber was described as a black man, about 6 feet tall with a medium build and light-colored hoodie and glasses. Police say he indicated he had a weapon.
- Tuesday night, the Check Into Cash at 1530 Cassopolis St. and Yoder Truck Stop at 1125 Kent St. were robbed. In both robberies, witnesses described the assailants as black men, wearing hoodies and sunglasses. The suspects indicated they had a weapon in both incidents.
- The Citgo gas station at 23719 U.S. 33 — just south of Elkhart city limits — also was held up about 11 a.m. Wednesday, said Lt. Ed Windbigler, Elkhart police spokesman. Windbigler said all of the robberies in Elkhart — aside from the bank robbery — could be related. That doesn't include Wednesday night's most recent case.
