By KAT BEIN
Gainesville Police have found themselves in the unlikely position of having caught the robbers but not the victim and are asking students to help identify the female.
At about 1 a.m. Saturday, police saw Lavonte Cox, 19, Gena Paul, 24, and Laquitta Robinson, 23, walk into an area of recent robbery activity and crouch between vehicles in the parking lot of 200 SW Second St.
Officers watched as the three came upon a lone woman, then suddenly ran away.
Police caught up with the trio who gave conflicting stories during questioning. Officers with the K-9 Argos searched their car and found a loaded 9 mm handgun and a chapstick tube filled with marijuana and crack cocaine.
The three admitted to police they were out looking for women with big purses to rob at gunpoint. All three said they ran away after the victim said she had no money and showed them her purse.
Though they’ve been charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, police need to find the victim in order to confirm no items were stolen and complete their investigation.
“Normally we have a victim and no suspect but this time we have suspects with no victim,” said GPD spokeswoman Tscharna Senn. “It makes it a little harder to do the investigation and we may be looking at these suspects for other robberies.”
The victim is described as a white woman in her 20s, with brown hair, wearing a knit cap, black dress or pants. She is thought to have walked northbound on Northwest First Street and Northwest Third Avenue after the robbery.
Anyone with information about the victim is asked to call Detective Courtnay Roberts at 352-393-7658, or may leave an anonymous tip at 352-372-7867.
