Holdup suspect charged

THOMASVILLE — A Thomas County man is behind bars for a incident in which the weapon was scissors.

James Joeneather Lamons, 36, Hopkins Street, is being held without bond in the Friday, Jan. 20, incident at Sac’s Food Mart, 1555 Summerhill Road. He is accused of being armed with scissors when he beat a convenience store clerk twice and demanded money — but apparently took nothing.

A man wearing a wig entered the store about 9 p.m. as the clerk was about to close.

Lamons was arrested during questioning by Thomas County Sheriff’s Office investigators.

“He came into talk to us a second time. We went to him the first time,” investigator Bob Brettel said.

The suspect was placed at the store by several people, including himself, the investigator added.

“We proved he was at the location. There were discrepancies in his story,” Brettel explained. “He said he’d been in the business, but did not commit the burglary.”

Scissors have been recovered, but investigators are not sure they are the ones used in the would-be holdup. The scissors, along with a wig, were recovered at the home of a friend of the suspect.

Lamons, who is charged with attempted armed robbery, was charged in June 1999 with burglary, aggravated assault and robbery. He entered a guilty plea to robbery in November 1999 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison — five to serve and the remainder on probation, court records show.