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Deputies looking for a convenience store robber didn't have to look any further than the store's clerk.
Vida K. Abney was working at the Pump & Pantry, 3507 E. Bismark, April 8 when a man wearing a ski mask and a dark hooded jacket entered the store around 11 p.m. She reported to Hall County Sheriff's deputies that the man had a handgun and demanded that she empty the cash register and safe, which she did, said Chief Deputy Chris Rea.
Abney and the man, later identified as Jason E. Eliker, went into the back room. She told deputies the man struck her in the head and knocked her unconscious. When she came to she set off the store's security alarm and called 911, Rea said.
As it turns out, Abney was in on the robbery and the suspect is her son, said Capt. Jim Castleberry.
Abney, also known as Vida Eliker, 39, of St. Libory, was arrested Friday in Grand Island. She was charged in Hall County Court Monday with felony aiding and abetting theft by unlawful taking and misdemeanor false reporting.
"She was aware of the robbery and took an active part in it," Castleberry said.
Jason Eliker, 21, of Grand Island, was arrested Sunday in Cairo, according to Hall County Jail records.
He was charged Monday with felony theft by unlawful taking.
Castleberry said deputies believe Eliker is the masked man on the video surveillance tape.
The stolen money wasn't recovered and is believed to have been spent, he said.
Bonds for Abney and Eliker were set at 10 percent of $25,000 each and their preliminary hearings are scheduled for 11 a.m. May 20.
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