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Police: St. Cloud Man Arrested In Armed Robbery String

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 26-year-old man was arrested last Friday for robbing a St. Cloud liquor store at gunpoint.

The St. Cloud Police Department responded to a report of a hold up alarm at about 6:31 p.m. at Knotty Pine liquor store on the 10 block of Wilson Avenue NE. When officers arrived, they learned an unknown male entered the store showing a gun and demanded money from a clerk behind the counter.

The suspect got an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing the store on foot. After getting a description of the suspect, officers tracked fresh foot tracks in the snow and spotted a man matching the description on the 10 block of 3rd Avenue NE. He was identified as Lavonta Devon Lofton of St. Cloud.

Officers found that he was in possession of a 9-millimeter handgun that was reported stolen of out St. Cloud, as well as cash. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Benton County Jail on charges of possessing a stolen firearm and aggravated robbery.

Authorities say nobody was hurt in the robbery.

An investigation showed Lofton is connected to other aggravated robberies at Super America gas stations in St. Cloud on Aug. 31 and Dec. 11. In the Aug. 31 incident, the alleged suspect threatened a gas station clerk with a knife and hit the clerk in the head after a struggle, causing minor injuries.

The case is under investigation by the St. Cloud Police Department with criminal charges pending from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

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