ONEONTA _ The Smokers Choice store on Chestnut Street was robbed at knife point on the Fourth of July in a "brazen" daylight heist that netted more than $5,000, according to city police.
Police were dispatched to the tobacco store at the corner of Church Street at 11:10 a.m. Saturday after a clerk reported he had been robbed, Detective Sgt. Jeff Jump said Monday.
Officers responded, but didn't see anyone in the immediate area, Jump said.
The lone clerk described the robber as a 5-foot-10-inch-tall man with a stocky build wearing a light-colored jacket and dark pants. He was wearing a ski cap that covered his face, according to police.
The robber allegedly displayed a 4-to-5-inch knife, but did not make any threats of physical violence, Jump said.
The man took about $400 from a cash register and $5,000 from a safe, Jump said.
The robber also removed the video surveillance recording device from the store before fleeing through a back door that opens to Church Street, according to Jump.
Smokers Choice interim manager Colman Marriner said Monday the clerk was not injured. Marriner also said he did not know much about the robbery and was waiting for further details from police.
The store was closed for the rest of the day Saturday, but reopened Sunday.
City police did not release any details of the robbery to The Daily Star until Monday afternoon.
Smokers Choice is a chain of about 25 tobacco stores in New York, Marriner said.
City police received assistance from state police, including crime-scene technicians.
Jump said he could not discuss any evidence that may have been uncovered during the investigation.
"It's still being investigated," Jump said.
The robbery is not believed to be connected to the unsolved hold-up of the Sears store on South Main Street on June 5 because of differing descriptions of the suspect, he said.
Armed robberies are not a common occurrence in the city, Jump said.
City police are asking anyone who may have information about the heist to call them at 432-1113.
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