Andrews man accused of holding store manager at gunpoint wanted for murder in N.C.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NC (WMBF) - A man recently pegged by authorities as the suspect in an armed robbery at the Andrews Piggly Wiggly is now wanted in North Carolina.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said Jermaine Blake, 36, of Andrews, is wanted for first-degree murder. The charge stems from the Sept. 26 murder of Henry Lee Downing Jr. in the Fayetteville area.

The day after Downing’s killing, Blake was arrested by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest was in connection to a Sunday armed robbery at the Piggly Wiggly in Andrews.

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Investigators said Blake approached the store on his bicycle around 6 a.m. when the store manager was opening the Piggly Wiggly on Ashland Street.

Blake is accused of pulling out a gun and ordering the manager to open the store’s safe and put money in his backpack.

The suspect then told the manager and the employees to not move for five minutes while he rode his bike away.

Blake is currently in custody at the Georgetown County Detention Center. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said he will be there “pending extradition.”

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