AWOL soldiers arrested after robbery attempt in Baker

BAKER — Deputies arrested two in connection with a convenience store robbery attempt in Baker, and in the process discovered two soldiers who were absent without leave from the Army.

Sean Hudson, 22, and Kyle Warner, 20, were arrested and booked in the Barstow Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department daily booking logs. Warner also had a warrant for his arrest out of Colorado for robbery, according to a sheriff’s report. Hudson was listed as AWOL from the Army, as was Nicholas Lane, 23, another man who was traveling with them.

At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a clerk at the Arco AM/PM market on Baker Boulevard reported that Hudson and Warner entered the store, threatened to beat him up, and demanded money. The suspects did not have a weapon, Det. Darin Lansdown said.

When the clerk refused to open the cash register, the two men fled south on Interstate 15 in a Jeep Cherokee. Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers stopped the vehicle at 4:08 p.m. near Minneola Road. The four occupants of the vehicle were detained, and the convenience store clerk identified Hudson and Warner as the would-be robbers.

Deputies determined that Lane and a woman who was driving the Jeep had no involvement in the robbery attempt, Lansdown said.

The suspects, all from Colorado, were driving from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe to visit Lane’s mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, when they began running low on money, Lansdown said. Warner told deputies that he had been a convenience store clerk in Colorado and believed that the AM/PM clerk would cooperate with the robbery attempt based on his experiences there.

To report information on this or other robberies, call the Barstow Sheriff’s Station at 760-256-4838. To remain anonymous, call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WeTip Web site at www.wetip.com.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or abby_sewell@link.freedom.com