SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Armed Robber Fires Handgun During Store Robbery in Pace: Arrested within Hours

06-22-2007 at approximately 2200 hours, Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a hold-up alarm at the "TCBY/New York Burrito" located at 4861 West Spencerfield Road, Pace, FL. Deputies arrived within minutes and made contact with two employees inside the business. Deputies were told that there had been a robbery and the suspect fired off a large caliber semi-automatic handgun inside the store. The suspect had entered the store and demanded all of the money then fired one round from his handgun into the ceiling. The suspect also told the employees not to look at him or he would kill them. Employees complied with the suspect, who then fled with an undisclosed amount of currency. The suspect was described by the employees as a white male wearing a red shirt, blue shorts, and white shoes. A perimeter was set up in the area by numerous law enforcement officers to contain the suspect within the area. Deputy Jackson and his K-9 Banja, FHP, Milton Police Department, and Escambia County Sheriff's Office Air One also arrived to assist in locating the suspect. Witnesses stated that they had seen the suspect running across the road onto White Road . During the investigation, one of the victims stated that she recognized the suspect as being the boyfriend of a former employee of the business. The victim stated that his name was "David" and she had only seen him a few times. Investigators were able to locate the "My Space" page of the former employee. On this page, the suspect, David Chapell Dixon, was in her number one friend slot. Photographs were on Dixon 's site that showed him holding a large caliber semi-automatic handgun. The employees were able to identify the suspect through a photo lineup. It was determined that the former employee, the girlfriend of the suspect, used to walk to work and lived in the immediate area. Further investigation revealed the location to be in the 4800 block of Lynn Drive, which is only a few blocks away from the store that had been robbed. A large number of deputies then responded to the residence and contacted the home owner. The home owner gave consent to search his residence and property. During the search, the suspect was located, as well as the red shirt, the semi-automatic handgun, and the money from the robbery. The suspect, David Chapell Dixon (19 years old) was arrested and transported to the Santa Rosa County jail on the below listed charges. A photograph of Dixon is attached to this email.

Suspect:

David Chapell Dixon, W/M, 19 years old

4800 Block of Lynn Drive , Pace , FL

1 count of Robbery with a Firearm

1 count of Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony

2 counts of Aggravated Assault  

NO BOND

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

850-981-2136

850-698-4441