Erie arrest made in Parsons robbery

At 4:40 pm Tuesday, Parsons police assisted in the arrest of Benjamin Leroy Queen, 37, in Erie. Queen, who lives in Oswego, faces aggravated robbery and theft charges in Labette County District Court for the Feb. 2, 2020, robbery of Casey’s General Store in Oswego. The complaint alleges that Queen used a plastic gun wrapped in black tape to get an undisclosed amount of cash from the store.

Queen is free on $10,000 bond in the 2020 case and will return to court on March 29.

Dollar General was robbed at 9:09 am Monday by a white man, about 6 feet tall with a medium build. The man wore blue pants with a gray or tan coat and wielded a black handgun. The suspect fled in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of money.

During the investigation officers found a vehicle that was near the scene and identified as a possible getaway vehicle. Police investigated that vehicle more through the day and a vehicle matching the description was seen leaving the Parsons city limits north on US-59 at about 4:25 pm. 

Detectives notified Erie police about the circumstances tied to the vehicle and its direction of travel. When the vehicle was located in Erie, police witnessed a traffic infraction and the vehicle was pulled over. Parsons Detective Kyle Wiford was in the area trying to closer identify the person driving and was able to assist Erie police with the stop. Queen was identified and arrested during the stop on multiple warrants from other jurisdictions and driver’s license violations in Erie. 

Parsons police are not naming Queen as a suspect, only a person of interest, until more investigation can occur. 

“I am hopeful that more evidence will surface to bring this case to a close. The more information and tips we gather only ensure a speedy end to this series of robberies,” Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said. 

Dollar General was the third robbery in Parsons in a matter of weeks.