TERRA ALTA, W.Va. — A Preston County man accused in two armed robbery attempts is in jail. His call to 911 to report that he was the victim of a robbery may have helped land him behind bars.
A man wearing a red ski mask and armed with an assault rifle reportedly attempted to rob BFS convenience store in Terra Alta Friday.
A short time later, a homeowner on Ringer Avenue said a man wearing a red ski mask entered his home with an assault rifle and a pistol. The resident tried to disarm the suspect. Multiple shots were fired. Nobody was injured. The suspect took off and allegedly slammed his truck into a tree on Bridge Street in Terra Alta.
James Allen Lewis, 27, then called E-911 to report he’d been robbed of an AR-15.
When investigators found Lewis, he was in a wrecked truck that matched the description of the vehicle at the armed robbery attempts at the convenience store and the private residence.
Lewis was arrested on a charge of first degree robbery and one count of wanton endangerment involving a firearm.
He was arraigned and taken to Tygart Valley Regional Jail.
Bond was set at $210,000.