Masked Men Rob Love's

By John Meng, Managing Editor     Twenty-four hour truck stops are often welcome respites for travelers in need of fuel, coffee, food and perhaps just a brief mental break from the long road. However, like a scene from a Die Hard or Dirty Harry movie, employees and customers at the Love’s Travel Stop in Edna received a lot more than expected.     

In the early morning of Dec. 12, five masked men reportedly entered the Love’s Travel Stop located at 1509 E. Rose St. in Edna, tied up the three employees and proceeded to rob the store as well as the ATM.  

According to the Edna Police Department release, Edna Police and Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported robbery at 5:24 a.m. “Witnesses reported that five men wearing face coverings entered the store and tied up the three employees who were in the store at the time. The masked men then broke into the ATM machine and removed an undetermined amount of cash. The suspects also took cigarettes and cigars before fleeing the store,” said the statement.     

Police authories advised that it is not known whether the suspects were armed at the time of the offense but there were no weapons displayed. The three bound employees were found by a customer and freed without any injuries.     

Some police officials have said there is reason to believe the five men were members of a crime ring operating out of Bay City, a town which is known for its high crime rate.             

According to NeighborhoodScout.com, the town has a crime rate of 44 per 1,000 residents, and has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities.     

In June of this year, Matagorda Sheriffs Office, along with several area law enforcement agencies, shut down a crime ring which had been running an auto theft operation in Matagorda and surrounding counties.