“When you experience fear like these ladies did, it just takes you a long time to get over it,” said part owner of The Old School Truck Stop, Mark Jordan, about the two female clerks in his store being held at gunpoint. The clerks have yet to return to work at the truck stop since the armed robbery that happened on the night of June 28 in Pine Hill.

“I just hope that the justice system works this time and justice is served,” Jordan said.

The small town of Pine Hill has seen several instances of crime in the last week and Pine Hill Police officials believe that at least two of the criminal acts could be connected.

In the span of two days, a church was broken into and expensive equipment was stolen, an abandoned house was set on fire and The Old School Truck Stop was robbed of $550 by two armed men in ski masks. Three suspects were arrested for the Old School Truck Stop robbery and another two for theft in the church.

At around 3 a.m. on June 28, two masked men wearing white T-shirts entered The Old School Truck Stop on Alabama Highway 10. The two clerks attending the store were pushed into the kitchen and held at gunpoint by one male subject while the other ransacked the cash register and counter.

When a customer entered the store minutes after the criminals were gone, the customer found the cash register open and no clerks in the store. They immediately ran out of the store and phoned police.

Pine Hill Chief of Police Johns Brown said just 10 minutes prior to the truck stop being robbed, the police received a call about an abandoned house being set on fire.

“This fire was set to make a diversion and police were called to the fire,” Brown said. “When the officer arrived at the fire the store was robbed.”

Following the initial police response to the robbery and fire, evidence was collected of shoe prints and a description was taken from the security camera video at the truck stop.

Police then went looking for the two male subjects and spotted them in a vehicle at an intersection not far away.

“We caught the driver immediately,” Brown said about arresting one suspect, Kendrick Ransom.

The second male suspect, Detarrius Denish, reportedly ran into the woods and police immediately recognized him.

“We then called in the K-9 tracking team from Atmore Prison,” Brown said. “We knew all of the suspects well, not from the robbery but from other instances.”

After a long manhunt, Denish was arrested and taken into custody along with Ransom.

“Our investigation is still open because the abandoned house burnt just before the truck stop was robbed,” Brown said. “We think it could be connected but we haven’t made any other arrests yet.”

That night a third suspect, Antonio Ausbon was arrested in connection with the crime and officers found a stolen motorcycle from Andalusia in his home.

One subject was released the next day pending further investigation. Kendrick Lamont Ransom, 30, of Thomasville, was charged with armed robbery first degree, and receiving stolen property first degree. Detarrius Denish, 18, of Pine Hill, was charged with armed robbery first degree, and receiving stolen property first degree, and Antonio D. Ausbon, 22, of Pine Hill, was charged with armed robbery first degree, receiving stolen property first degree, criminal mischief first degree, attempting to elude police, and for Marengo County two counts of distribution of controlled substances. All three are in jail with no bond; Antonio Ausbon has a $50,000.00 bond with Marengo County for the distribution charges. Additional charges are pending, and police are continuing the investigation.