Police: Man robbed store, taped money near genitals

A man who told a local business clerk he was having desperate times is accused of robbing the business and taping the stolen money to his body near his genitals.

Joshua Briggs Murphy, 35, was charged Tuesday night with first-degree robbery and tampering with physical evidence in the theft reported at Saffire Vapors, 2710 Nashville Road, according to his arrest citation.

The store clerk said a man came inside the store wearing a white shirt and khaki shorts with a gray shirt over his head. The robber displayed pepper spray and said he would hate to spray anyone but he was desperate, according to Murphy’s arrest citation. The clerk said he was afraid he would get sprayed if he didn’t comply with the demands.

Store surveillance imagery captured the incident.

Officers later received a call about a suspicious person at Parkway Shell who had just bought gas and burned clothes at the side of the store, according to the citation. Police noted that the clothes the person attempted to burn where a white T-shirt, a black shirt and a pair of athletic shoes. Police found a meth pipe and pepper spray inside the shoes.

A witness provided police with a description of the car and the license plate with a registration that came back to Murphy, according to his arrest citation. Officers found Murphy at a gas station at Russellville Road and Creekwood Avenue.

Murphy was taken into custody and requested a lawyer. Police advised Murphy before lodging him inside the Warren County Regional Jail about taking anything inside the jail that could be considered contraband. At that time police said Murphy told them the money taken from the robbery was taped to his body in the area of his genitals. The money was retrieved from Murphy inside the jail, according to the arrest report.

No bond had been set for Murphy as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.