Corinth robbery suspects nabbed

The Corinth Marathon was the victim of another robbery this week, but police were able to nab four suspects, thanks to an observant customer.

Police recovered these items near Corinth Lake after a robbery on March 7.

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The suspects, all from Bowling Green, are now guests at the Grant County Detention Center.

Charges were filed against:
• Angela West, 29, for first-degree robbery
• Stacy Bilyeu, 24, for first-degree robbery and operating on a suspended license
• Claude L. Conley Jr., 23, for first-degree robbery and three counts of wanton endangerment
• Seiku Bah, 21, for first-degree robbery, three counts of wanton endangerment, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

The robbery occurred around 3 a.m. on March 7 when two black males wearing ski masks entered the gas station and demanded money.

“At first they demanded money and wanted to know who was in the store,” said Grant County Sheriff Chuck Dills.

When the second clerk stepped out of the back, one of the men waived a handgun.

“He demanded the money from the safe, but the clerk didn’t have access, so he wanted the money out of the cash register,” Dills said.

Dills said the pair ran out of the store and headed toward the northbound ramp where a 2000 silver Mercury with two white females inside was waiting for them.

“We believe their intention was to try and make it look as if they were heading north bound, but they fully intended to back up the ramp and head south,” Dills said.

What the suspects weren’t expecting was that a customer at the Marathon, who walked in as the men were running away, would give chase in his vehicle.

Dills said the man, who was driving a large dually pickup truck attempted to block the northbound exit ramp as they tried to back up.

“They tried to get away so he hit their vehicle,” Dills said.

The man dialed 911 and followed the Mercury north on Interstate-75 until he experienced vehicle problems.

Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Burke was waiting for the vehicle at the Barnes Road exit.

“They passed him at a high rate of speed,” Dills said.

Burke stopped the car near the Dry Ridge exit.

Dills said the men confessed to robbing the gas station and said they tossed their masks, gloves and gun out near the Corinth exit.

Charlie Phillips, an officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, brought a search dog to the scene and located a black ski mask and gloves and a .25 automatic near Corinth Lake, along I-75.

The serial numbers on the gun had been filed off. Dills said the gun will be taken to the crime lab to determine if the weapon had been stolen or if it had been used in any other crimes.

Also assisting at the scene was Sgt. Robert Reed of the Williamstown Police Department.

“We certainly appreciate the customer’s help, but we don’t advise citizens to get too involved with someone who has just committed armed robbery,” Dills said. “He probably should have just followed him from a safe distance at a safe speed, written down his license number and called 911.”