"When I took the lock off the door, he was all over me, pushing me," recalls Richard Olive.
Olive describes the robbery at his rural country store off Highway 70 in Clayton. The 76-year-old store owner was alone and locked up for the night when he heard a knock at the front door. He had just answered a call on his cordless phone, and kept talking as he went to the door.
It was then that the suspect pushed Olive, caught him off guard and sprayed his eyes.
Richard Olive thinks there were two suspects. One stood with his foot on Olive's back, while a second ransacked part of the store, breaking the cash register and stealing the money inside.
Olive was helpless after breathing in the pepper spray. The woman he'd been talking to called 911. Deputies found just one clue at the scene, a mask with two holes for the eyes and an insignia.
The homemade mask is the only piece of evidence deputies have to go on. With the robber's trail going cold, they're hoping someone will recognize it, and lead them to their suspect.
If you have any information about the robbery at Olive's, please call the Johnston County Sheriff's office at919-989-5000. Crimestoppers is offering a reward.
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