By Ray King
A $20,000 bond was set Friday for a man accused of robbing another man at a convenience store on May 30.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set the bond after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge Alex Reed, 29, with robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Testifying for the state, Detective Keith Banks said police were sent to the Valero at 2202 S. Olive St., where they found a male with a laceration to his head. The man said he had been working at the store when Reed asked him to step outside.
He said when he did, Reed hit him with a closed fist, took a nine-millimeter handgun and then left the store. The man was taken to Jefferson Regional for treatment and when Banks interviewed him, said he remembered talking to Reed, who he said was his nephew, but doesn’t remember much else.
Store security video showed Reed pulling up in a vehicle and asking the victim to step outside, then showed Reed hitting the victim and taking his gun.
Deputy Prosecutor Jay Gerard said Reed’s criminal history showed that he had been convicted of aggravated robbery, theft of property and attempted murder in 2009 and had been sentenced to 137 months in prison. Reed however disputed that, saying that he had not been convicted of anything and it was a mistake.
Reed was ordered to have no contact with the victim and said he would hire his own attorney.
