Man charged in Smoothie King robbery

Eric Fleischauer, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·1 min read

Feb. 16—ATHENS — Athens police charged a Huntsville man with Tuesday's armed robbery of the Smoothie King, they said today, but he is being held in the Madison County Jail for robberies allegedly committed in Huntsville.

Benny Ray Stafford, 38, allegedly pulled a gun and took a wallet from a victim inside Smoothie King.

According to Athens police, their investigation revealed that the suspect in the Athens robbery closely resembled a suspect in several robberies over the last week in Huntsville. That information was shared with the Huntsville Police Department, which located him in a hotel on Memorial Parkway and arrested him on three counts of armed robbery.

Stafford is currently being held in the Madison County Jail with no bond set.

Athens police said an arrest warrant has been issued for Stafford in Limestone County on a charge of first-degree robbery, and that the suspect will be extradited back to Athens when released from Madison County Jail.

First-degree robbery is a Class A felony, punishable by up to life in prison.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.