By Rich Flowers News Editor
The Athens Police Department, with the help of Texas Department of Corrections tracking dogs, arrested two men Friday in connection with a Christmas-night holdup at the Quality Inn on State Highway 31E.
APD Lt. Bill Gurley said one of the men displayed a revolver during the robbery.
Sheldon Milan Polk, 20, and Welborn Jamad Alexander, 18, were booked into the Henderson County Jail for aggravated robbery. They remained in custody Monday, with bond on each of the suspects set at $10,000.
APD dispatched Christopher Saylors to the motel, and took a report from the night clerk on duty.
She told police that the two men entered the motel at about 9:45 p.m., wearing upper body jackets with hoods, and demanded the money in the register.
When the cash on hand only turned out to be about $40, the men also grabbed her personal computer. The pair then left the office and fled on foot, heading west.
Gurley, Det. Cpl. James Bonnette and Det. Adam Parkins went to the crime scene to follow up on the initial report.
At about 10:30 p.m., APD called for the tracking dogs from the prison unit in Anderson County.
Shortly after midnight, the dogs led police to the Summitt Apartments on State Highway 31E.
There police found Polk and Alexander. The officers arrested the two suspects, and transported them to jail.
Inside one of the apartments, police recovered the stolen money and laptop and a handgun.
The stolen items were returned to their owner.
