An armed robbery at a Central Florida liquor store was exposed as an inside job by local law enforcement.
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies recently responded to a report of an armed robbery at Citrus Liquor Store in Inverness.
According to local law enforcement, the store clerk, 46-year-old Renee Bedford, initially told deputies that a black male in his 30s had entered the store wearing a ‘Halloween’ movie ‘Michael Myers’ mask, and demanded cash. Bedford stated she was frozen in fear and surrendered money from the register before the suspect fled the scene.
Deputies initiated an agency-wide search for the suspect and shared information on the robbery on social media in an effort to identify the masked suspect. However, once detectives reviewed the store’s surveillance footage, several inconsistencies in Bedford’s account were identified by law enforcement.
Not only did the video show Bedford laughing during the incident, but the suspect was clearly a white male, directly contradicting Bedford’s description and raising immediate concerns about the credibility of her report, according to CCSO.
A tip submitted through Citrus County Crime Stoppers provided detectives with the name of a possible suspect: 47-year-old Richard Lassiter. Detectives interviewed Lassiter and during the interview, Lassiter revealed that Bedford had introduced the idea of a planned robbery to him, including providing details of the store’s surveillance camera program and cash deposit procedures, according to local law enforcement.
Following this information, detectives met with Bedford at the liquor store. Bedford appeared visibly nervous and denied any involvement in planning or facilitating the robbery. At the conclusion of the interview, detectives established probable cause for her arrest. While taking Bedford into custody, deputies located multiple plastic baggies containing narcotics in her pocket.
“This case is a perfect example of why thorough investigative work matters,” said Criminal Investigations Division Captain Mat Baird. “The suspect’s mask may have hidden his face, but our detectives quickly recognized the inconsistencies in this case and exposed an inside job disguised as a robbery. I am proud of their attention to detail, leading to two successful arrests.”
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Renee Bedford was arrested and charged with: Principal to armed robbery, Principal to grand theft, Possession of fentanyl, Possession of methamphetamine, and Possession of paraphernalia. Richard Lassiter was arrested and charged with: Robbery with a firearm, and Grand theft.
“CCSO commends the swift the teamwork displayed throughout the investigation, with special recognition to Detective Adolf for leading the investigation that uncovered the inside job,” the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office stated. “We would also like to thank our community for the tips we received that led to the identification of the suspect.”
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