THOMASVILLE, N.C. — Thomasville Police are looking for a man they've dubbed 'the forgetful bandit' who is accused of robbing a Japanese restaurant.
Police say a masked man put his gun aside when removing the cash register drawer at Kong Hibachi and forgot to pick it up before leaving the store. He eventually returned to retrieve it.
Police arrived at the Thomasville restaurant on National Highway Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. after an armed robbery was reported.
Surveillance footage showed the man breaking a glass change jar and then taking the cash register drawer. Employees ran out a side door, leaving the man alone. After the man left the store, he came back 20 seconds later to grab the gun and left a second time.
While trying to find the man, a K-9 led police to an empty vehicle behind the nearby Thomasville Inn. Police found 14 pounds of marijuana and $38,613 in cash inside the vehicle, which was a rental and owned by Hertz. Police don't believe this discovery is related to the robbery.
The man was last seen running in the 900 block of Culbreth Avenue with money. He was said to be wearing gloves, a red hooded sweatshirt and a black jacket.
Anyone with information about either case should call the Thomasville Police Department at 336-475-4260 or Crime Stoppers at 336-476-8477.
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