Man Asks Mom For Ride Home After Foiled Robbery Attempt

Robber left empty-handed after clerk showed him cash-less register

A Florida man called his mother for a ride home after the store he attempted to rob had an empty cash register, according to The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

The man was arrested on Dec. 29 on one count of robbery after he attempted to rob a Thumbs-Up Convenience Store in Niceville at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 22, The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Zachariah Dalton Howard, 22, told police it wasn't his intention to rob the store originally but that he "came up with the idea" while walking there.

Once inside, Howard, dressed in a long black jacket, a hoodie and blue jeans, told the cashier that he had a firearm, but never showed a weapon. The clerk then showed Howard an empty register drawer, forcing the would-be robber to leave empty-handed.

He then went in a nearby Winn-Dixie supermarket where he called his mother and asked for a ride home.

Contact Us