Arrest made in rash of Dollar General robberies; 2nd culprit sought

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — One of the men believed to have been involved in an Ocala Dollar General store robbery in which a woman and her child were held at gunpoint, has been arrested, deputies said.

A second man remains at large.

Deputies said there have been nine Dollar General robberies in Marion County, and some stores were hit more than once.

Crimeline, Ocala police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office are offering a $9,000 reward for information in the case.

Deputies said Traquail Fort was arrested, but he is not talking.

"We need to get them off our streets," Lauren Lettelier of the Marion County Sheriff's Office said. "We are concerned about our citizens."

Surveillance video captured the robberies in progress, including one in which a culprit held a 9-year-old girl at gunpoint.

"Hopefully they'll catch them. Usually they'll make a mistake eventually and get caught," said customer Tim Ingram.

The most recent robbery was reported Wednesday at a store in northern Marion County. Two men with masks, and carrying guns tied up the clerks with duct tape and got away with the store's cash, said authorities.

Fort was arrested shortly after the robbery. He was found inside a rental car, naked and covered in vomit, but deputies said they don’t know why.

A bag of money was found nearby, and clothes that deputies said were used in the robbery were found in the car.

"We are working around the clock on this," Lettelier said. "We're doing everything we can do. We're still soliciting help from the public."

Law enforcement said they have increased patrols in the area.

Interactive map of Dollar General robberies in Marion County:

Cox Media Group