Man Arrested In Robbery Of Display House

Sheriff’s detectives arrested a 41-year-old Spokane man for the robbery of the Display House novelty store earlier this month.

Barry L. Paulus was booked into the Spokane County Jail for second-degree robbery. He was being held Thursday in lieu of a $50,000 bond.

Display House employees said a man robbed the store at 1510 N. Argonne on May 13 after waiting for a customer to leave. The man announced he was robbing the store and unzipped his sweat shirt as if to display a weapon.

A clerk initially thought the stick-up was a prank, but gave the robber about $50 in paper currency when he persisted, according to court documents.

The man then fled the store. No weapon was seen, and no one was injured.

A 27-year-old store clerk described the robber as 40 to 50 years old. Witnesses said the man fled in a light-tan, late 1970s or early 1980s Dodge Omni and briefly gave chase, but lost the suspect.

Detectives arrested Paulus on Monday, said Deputy David Reagan, Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

Store clerks picked Paulus out of a photo lineup, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in District Court. A witness who was leaving a nearby business at the time of the robbery also told detectives she saw Paulus leave the store and drive away in a tan-colored car.

, DataTimes