Jacob Borders
LaPorte Police say Jacob Borders, 35, of LaPorte, the suspect in the robbery Thursday of Family Express on Pine Lake Avenue, was taken into custody without incident at about 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. “The suspect has been interviewed by detectives with the LaPorte Police Department, and has been subsequently charge with Robbery (Level 5 Felony), which typically carries a 1-6 year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine,” police said in a press release.
Police said that by Thursday evening they knew it was Borders they were looking for. City and county police shut down the 400 block of Pine Lake Avenue for about two hours Thursday afternoon looking for Borders, who lives on the avenue, but did not find him at that time.
A twist is that he bummed a ride to and from the store from some acquaintances; they did not know he had robbed the store until he told them to hurry on the ride home because he’d just held the place up.
The suspect, who implied he had a weapon, robbed the store at 1209 Pine Lake Ave. (near the intersection of North U.S. 35 and Ind. 39). No one was hurt.
According to online crime sites, Borders was also arrested by LaPorte Police in 2013 on charges of theft and possession of a controlled substance.
This is the second robbery of a Pine Lake Avenue business within the past two weeks. On Jan. 8 the KFC restaurant at 213 Pine Lake Ave. was robbed. Two brothers were arrested just a few blocks away shortly after the robbery and are charged with that crime.
Here’s a LaPorte Police press release on the robbery issued before Borders’ arrest:
“LaPorte Police responded to a hold-up alarm at Family Express, 1209 Pine Line Road. The cashier told police that the male suspect had entered the store while several other patrons were inside. Once the other patrons left, the suspect approached the counter and demanded money. He indicated he had a weapon and threatened to shoot the clerk if she did not comply. She gave him money from the register and he fled the store in a tan Ford Explorer.
“While en route to the call, officers were flagged down by the occupants of a tan Ford Explorer in the 400 block of Pine Lake Avenue. They advised they had given the suspect a ride to Family Express so he could use the ATM machine there. While driving the suspect back to his residence on Pine Lake Avenue, he allegedly told them to hurry as he’d just robbed the store. They stopped and ordered him to exit the vehicle. They told police they believed he entered a home at 441 Pine Lake Ave.
“Subsequently, police surrounded the residence and traffic was diverted away from the 400 block of Pine Lake Avenue. as a safety precaution. A search warrant was secured and served for the residence, however the suspect was not located inside.”