COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man accused of taking a semiautomatic rifle out of his car after he stole candy and other items from a gas station has been arrested.
Franklin County sheriff’s deputies arrested Dante Butler, 31, who they say stole items Sunday from a Speedway gas station in the 3000 block of Noe Bixby Road, in the Blacklick Estates neighborhood.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, deputies were called out on a report of a robbery involving a firearm.
A clerk said the man stole multiple items and that he followed the man back to his car in an attempt to get a picture of him. The man pulled a “tan assault looking rifle” from his car, identified as a black Toyota with Illinois license plates.
On Thursday, a deputy spotted the car and attempted to pull it over. Reports say Butler attempted to flee but was detained. A tan KelTec SUB2000 9 millimeter rifle was found on the front passenger floorboard. And a magazine containing 31 Hornady Luger rounds was also found.
Butler, who told the deputy he felt threatened by the Speedway clerk, was charged with aggravated robbery, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. He was issued a $15,000 bond for the robbery charged and a $7,500 bond for the weapons charge.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 7.
