Police arrested a man who reportedly held a grocery store employee at gunpoint while demanding service at a closed meat counter, KOLR reported.
Larry Gene Gay faces misdemeanor and felony charges in connection with the incident at a Price Chopper grocery store Tuesday, according to Greene County Sheriff’s Office records.
The 70-year-old from Springfield, Missouri reportedly told police he had gone to the grocery store to buy steaks. The trouble began when Gay discovered Price Cutter’s meat department was closed.
With no employees available to pack up his meat, Gay took matters into his own hands, literally, and began doing the job himself, the Independent reported.
When an employee received a call about Gay packing his own meat, he approached Gay and told him self-service of that sort was not allowed, KOLR reported.
The situation intensified when the employee said he would not help him, and Gay told the employee he was going to carry on with his meat packing mission anyway.
“Once he held the gun to my throat — pushed it into my throat — I decided to comply,” the employee reportedly told police.
Gay told law enforcement authorities in an interview that at some point during the encounter, he showed the “good man” helping him his gun.
When he showed the gun, according to Gay’s version of events, he said, “Just to say I’m not stealing. I need you here to help me to get a couple of these steaks. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Gay reportedly told officers he did not know why people in the store called the police to tell them Gay was threatening them with his gun.
“I have no idea,” Gay reportedly told police during the interview, apparently bemused by employees’ concerns.
Charges against Gay in connection with the incident include: unlawful use of a weapon – subsection 1 – carries concealed, armed criminal action, stealing, first degree robbery, and fourth degree assault. Status of a charge for unlawful use of weapon, exhibiting is listed as “pending” under a separate case number with the same arrest date.
Gay is held at Greene County Jail on a $50,000 bond awaiting a court date scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Monday.
TheBlaze requested comment from Greene County Missouri Sheriff’s Office Detention Division, but did not hear back in time for publication.