Officer Recognized for Preventing Armed Robbery

Sallisaw Police Officer Josh Rogers

Sallisaw Police Officer Josh Rogers was recently presented the City of Sallisaw Coin and recognized by Chief of Police Terry Franklin after Rogers stopped an armed robbery from occurring.

According to Franklin, Officer Rogers was on patrol in the early morning hours of Nov. 29 when he spotted a vehicle parked at the Dollar General Store near Kerr Blvd. and Cherokee. The store had been closed for several house so Rogers pulled in to investigate.

When Rogers turned around to make contact with the vehicle, he observed two males jump in the vehicle and try to leave but they were stopped by the dead end of the parking lot on the south side of  the building and unable to go further. 

Upon making contact with the vehicle Rogers found three juvenile males from Pope County in Arkansas. The juveniles were runaways who had stolen a vehicle, gun and purse and were trying to get to Florida, Franklin said.

During a search of the vehicle Rogers discovered a clown mask, two ski masks, duct tape, drugs and a loaded 9mm pistol. 

The juveniles told Rogers that they had been parked in order to put duct tape on the license plate of their vehicle and were then planning to go next door to the EZ-Mart convenience store and commit robbery.

One of the males stated that he was going to have the gun pointed at the clerk and fire a shot into the ceiling if they refused to hand over money.

"Due to Officer Rogers' action and excellent patrol tactics he was able to disrupt a deadly situation before it happened and may have possibly saved the life of the store clerk and the juveniles involved," Franklin stated.

"Officer Rogers is a dedicated employee of the city and continues to grow as an officer daily," Franklin added.

Rogers was presented with a letter of recognition and the City of Sallisaw Coin which is given to city employees who go above and beyond the call of duty.

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