Lubbock man charged in Portales robberies

A Lubbock man was arrested in connection with the robbery of two Allsup’s Convenience Stores in Portales early Thursday morning.

Police captured Santos Rodriguez, 22, hiding in the attic of a residence in an apartment complex at 109 South Avenue I, according to Portales police.

He is charged with two felony counts of armed robbery.

“The amount of money stolen during the robberies is unknown and no money was recovered when the suspect was arrested,” Berry said. “The knife used in both of the robberies was also not recovered.”

It was the first two armed robberies of the year in Portales, Berry said.

Charged with two counts of armed robbery, Rodriguez is being held at the Roosevelt County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond.

Allsup’s officials at the corporate office located in Clovis had no comment on the robberies.

The Allsup’s Convenience Store located on North Main Street was robbed at knife-point at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, Berry said.

The male subject demanded cash and also took cigarettes. The clerk from the store was able to provide a description of the vehicle used by the suspect, according to a police news release.

A second Allsup’s located on the corner of West Second Street and South Avenue J was robbed at 4:50 a.m. by a subject matching the description of the suspect in the earlier robbery. The suspect again used a knife and demanded money from the clerk and took milk coupons from the register, according to the release.

Officers located a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle used in the first robbery at the apartment complex. Witnesses told police they saw a subject matching the suspect’s description enter into one of the apartments.

There are five Allsup’s Convenience Stores in Portales. The stores are open 24 hours a day.