February 1, 2013
Lieutenant Gregg Hastings
Public Information Officer
On the evening of January 29, 2013, OSP troopers responded to a reported armed robbery at Levi's Market located at 3540 Demaray Drive. The clerk reported an adult male with a bandana on his face came in armed with a handgun demanding money. The suspect left after receiving an undisclosed amount of money. The clerk also told troopers and detectives that the suspect was a regular customer and had come in to the store earlier in the day wearing the same clothes. The only difference was the suspect wore a bandana over his face to disguise his identity.
According to Detective Jess Elzy, follow up investigation by OSP Criminal Investigation Division detectives, with the assistance of Josephine County District Attorney's Office, positively identified the suspect and led to the execution of a search warrant Thursday afternoon, January 31, where the suspect lives in the 300 block of Peter Springs Drive in Grants Pass. Detectives seized evidence including clothing, a small amount of heroin, and the handgun which turned out to be a replica airsoft pistol.
OSP arrested JUSTIN SEAN PALMER, age 24, and lodged him in the Josephine County Jail on the following charges:
* Robbery in the First Degree
* Unlawful Use of a Weapon
* Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance - Heroin