Man convicted of armed robbery

The Cullman Times

Sat, May 17 2008

— By Patrick McCreless
patrickm@cullmantimes.com
A Cullman County jury convicted a local man Wednesday for robbing a Hanceville drug store at gunpoint last year — a day after another man pled guilty for his involvement in the crime.
Following a three-day trial, it took the 12-member jury less than two hours to convict Terry Dale Wright, 41 of Crane Hill for his role in the June 30, 2007 robbery of Blue and Gray Drugs, located on Highway 31. His accomplice and driver in the caper, 56-year-old Billy Haywood Isbell of Hanceville, accepted a plea deal for 30 years in prison.
A sentencing date for Wright has not yet been set.
A Blue and Gray employee, who was at the store during the time of the robbery and who preferred to remain anonymous, said the incident was a stressful time for everyone involved.
“We were all full of paralyzing fear,” she said. “We feel like justice has been served with the guilty verdict.”
According to Hanceville police reports, the robbery occurred between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m. Witnesses stated a white male over 6-feet tall entered the drug store wearing a reddish-brown wig, sunglasses, a blue sports jacket and blue jeans while carrying what authorities thought at the time was a real firearm.
“At the time we didn’t know it, but it was a pellet gun,” said Lt. Jimmy Rodgers of the Hanceville Police Department. “During the robbery, Wright demanded all the controlled drugs and cash and then demanded every one to lie on the ground and that if anyone got up, he would pop them.”
Wright left the scene with $63 and approximately $20,000 worth of drugs, which were never recovered by investigators.
According to video surveillance taken from outside of the Comfort Inn, which is next door to the drug store, Wright could be seen leaving the scene in a white, 1998 Ford Explorer.
“One witness who was outside testified she observed the defendant get into the white Ford Explorer and heard the defendant screaming ‘let’s go’ as he ran toward the vehicle,” Rodgers said.
Investigations revealed the vehicle belonged to Isbell.
“We knew who Billy (Isbell) was,” Rodgers said. “He had received a citation in that vehicle a week before. Then an confidential informant came in and said he (Isbell) was driving it the day of the robbery.”
Early into the investigation, Rodgers said he discovered the day of the robbery was not the first time Wright and Isbell had visited the store. Witnesses stated they recalled seeing a suspicious individual fitting Wright’s description and wearing a red-brown wig the day before the robbery.
“We have it on video, they practiced it twice and scoped it (business) out,” Rodgers said.
Several days after the robbery, Rodgers said a witness in Tarrant, Ala. contacted him and said the two men had visited her home and that she had seen the red-brown wig in their vehicle.
“After interviewing the witness, we were able to obtain felony warrants on Wright,” Rodgers said.
Wright was arrested at a residence in Bessemer in July 2007 after he was identified by another witness. Isbell was arrested around the same time frame when he reported to the probation office at the Cullman County Courthouse.
“He has to report once a month,” Rodgers said. “They (probation office) called us and we went to the state probation office and apprehended them.”
Wright is currently in the Cullman County Detention center awaiting his sentence date. Isbell is incarcerated at the West Jefferson Prison serving his sentence.
“(Assistant District Attorney) John Bryant did an outstanding job prosecuting this case,” Rodgers said. “I appreciate the help of everyone involved. I’m just glad we’ve got these two individuals off the street.”

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