Man charged in E-Z Mart robbery reportedly bragged about crime
A Hot Springs man arrested Tuesday for allegedly robbing a local convenience store last week had reportedly bragged about the robbery to a witness two days later, according to a probable cause affidavit released Wednesday.
Simon Derick Hernandez, 18, of 103 Chitwood St., was taken into custody around 10 a.m. Tuesday when SWAT team members executed a search warrant at his residence and charged with one count of aggravated robbery, a felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Hernandez was being held on zero bond and was set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, a clerk, 34, at E-Z Mart, 505 Summer St., reported that shortly after 2 a.m. Aug. 7 a white male wearing a mask entered the store, brandished a handgun and demanded all the packs of Newport 100 cigarettes.
After obtaining the 28 packs of cigarettes, valued at $203.84, the man fled on foot. He was reportedly wearing a bandanna making his features indiscernible, but was white, with average build and dark bushy hair.
A neighboring business’s video surveillance reportedly revealed the man had been dropped off by a vehicle prior to the robbery.
On Monday, a witness came forward and told police Hernandez had admitted to robbing the E-Z Mart. He said Hernandez came to him on Aug. 9 bragging about the robbery.
The witness said Hernandez told him he had been dropped off and was wearing a bandanna at the time which was information not known by the public.
The witness also said Hernandez smokes Newport 100 cigarettes and typically wears light colored slip-on house shoes, which is what the robber was reportedly seen wearing. The affidavit notes Hernandez was a physical match to the suspect in the video and a recent driver’s license photo showed Hernandez had dark bushy hair.