MONTICELLO – A robbery went entirely wrong for a would-be thiefearly Wednesday afternoon when convenience store clerk behind thecash register refused to go down without a fight, authoritiessaid.

Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Ray Smith said JeraldWalker, 46, of 50 Karry Lambert Lane, Jayess, walked into Brad’sOne-Stop on Highway 27 North, selected an item to purchase andplaced it on the counter in front of Michelle Montague, 44, thestore’s clerk. Under the guise of continued shopping, Walkerdropped his item and walked behind the counter, where he allegedlyproduced a pocket knife and demanded cash from the register.

Montague obeyed Walker’s demands at first and emptied the cashregister. But when the thief tried to place Montague in the store’scooler, she apparently decided that enough was enough.

“She began to struggle with him, to fight with him,” Smith said.”She got cut in the process, once on each arm.”

Smith said that, after the struggle proved too much, Walker tookthe cash and fled into a wooded area. Smith and Monticello PoliceOfficer Christian Davis pursued Walker and apprehended him in thewoods about 30 minutes later.

Montague was taken to Lawrence County Hospital, where she wastreated and released.

Walker was taken into custody at 2:57 p.m. and charged withaggravated assault and armed robbery. While the officers werequestioning him, however, Walker confessed to three previous houseburglaries, and those charges were added to the list of allegedoffense, Smith said.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department and the MonticelloPolice Department were assisted in the short manhunt by the NewHebron Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.