DNA evidence links Washington man to 2016 gas station robbery in Dickinson

Jason R. O'Day, The Dickinson Press, N.D.
·2 min read
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Sep. 29—DICKINSON — A Washington state man is set to be extradited to North Dakota for his alleged robbing of Lucky's Tesoro gas station in 2016. The Dickinson Police Department announced that DNA evidence compelled them to obtain an arrest warrant for 36-year-old Joshua S. Floyd.

Police initially responded to the gas station on the evening of Mar. 29, 2016, after an employee reported being robbed at gunpoint by a white male, who then fled the store on foot. Officers arrived on the scene and set up a perimeter while a North Dakota Highway Patrol bloodhound canine unit was called to track the suspect — who was not found.

Detectives collected potential DNA evidence which was sent to the North Dakota State Crime Laboratory for analysis. The resulting DNA profile matched that of an unsolved 2011 sexual assault case in Washington state, but no known suspect had been identified in that incident. The Dickinson robbery case eventually went cold.

In May of 2021, police responded to an apartment complex in east Dickinson for a report of a recovered stolen vehicle. Detectives swabbed the vehicle and the resulting DNA profile matched that of the robbery and sexual assault. This time, detectives identified Floyd as a suspect in the vehicle theft. With that information, detectives were granted a search warrant for Floyd's DNA. By that point he was in jail on unrelated charges in Washington state.

Stark County State's Attorney Amanda Engelstad formally charged Floyd with the 2016 robbery and theft of property, class B and C felonies respectively, in connection with the Lucky's Tesoro robbery. He also faces charges of burglary and theft of property in the stolen vehicle case.

The Dickinson Police were notified that Floyd had been arrested in Lewis County, W.A. on Sept. 26 for unrelated charges and remains in custody. In coordination with the Stark County State's Attorney and the Southwest Judicial District, arrangements are being made for his extradition back to North Dakota.