A teenager who robbed a Deltona grocery store with a pistol and then fled with over $6,000 is now behind bars.
Volusia County deputies said, 19-year-old Kourtney Joe walked into the Winn-Dixie on Howland Boulevard in Deltona on Tuesday night, just before closing time and went to the store’s bathroom.
Joe bought a can of soup, before approaching the manager to complain about the unsanitary condition of the bathroom.
Deputies said, moments later, Joe opened her purse, pulled out a pistol and calmly told the manager to take her to the safe and open it.
Joe told the manager to put all the money into her purse, “big bills first.” She then walked out of the office and the store, investigators said.
The manager called 911 about 11:12 p.m., and provided a description of the suspect–a young woman with a tattoo on her chest, wearing a pair of dark pants with a price tag still on it.
A resident on Bluffview Circle, a block away from the store, had called 911 at 12:12 a.m., to report that a suspicious young woman had knocked on her door, but the resident didn’t let her in.
Deputies responded to the scene along with a K-9 unit and helicopter and Joe was located in the vicinity of the Winn-Dixie before 12:30 a.m.
Authorities said, the store manager and employees positively identified the suspect and Joe later admitted to investigators she had committed the robbery.
A Sheriff’s K-9 team found Joe’s purse and cash still inside, hidden behind a shed on Howland Boulevard.
Joe, who is from Georgia, was charged with armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. She was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach, without incident.
