Magrath men charged in robbery spree

Melissa Villeneuve

Southern Alberta Newspapers

Two Magrath men have been charged by police in connection with a number of robberies over the past five months.

The latest robberies occurred last Monday night at two gas stations in Lethbridge – one at Fas Gas along the 4100 block of 4 Avenue South and the other at Mac’s along the 100 block of Sunridge Road West.

Police say in both cases a male entered the store, produced a weapon and demanded cash before fleeing the scene. No one was injured.

On Tuesday around 12:56 a.m., police located the suspect and a second man inside a vehicle along the 1700 block of 17 Street South. They were arrested without incident.

After further investigation, police determined that one of the men was responsible for a total of 10 robberies dating back to April and the second man had been involved as a co-accused in three of them. Police say the robberies were motivated by drug use.

Derek Ross Blackmer, 31, of Magrath, is charged with 10 counts of robbery. Blackmer is remanded in custody to appear in court Sept. 1.

Joshua Lloyd Alston, 26, of Magrath, is charged with three counts of robbery. Alston was released from custody with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 20.

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