Pillow tied around midriff disguise didn't help store thief

A man spent his 62nd birthday behind bars on Thursday after being accused of robbing employees at a Dollar Tree store in Fort Worth, Texas while armed with a hunting knife and wearing a pillow tied around his midriff.



Employees told police that on Saturday, a man with a thin face and an abnormally large midsection entered the store at about 10:10pm and began walking up and down aisles before asking to speak to the manager. The manager, who was in the office preparing for closing that night, opened the office door and approached the man.

He pulled out a hunting knife, placed it to her back and pushed her back into the office. The man pushed another employee into the office, then demanded the store’s night deposit. After being handed the money, the robber ordered that a third employee be paged to the office. One of the employees hid near the rear of the store and called 911. The robber fled before police arrived. 



Robbery Sgt. Joe Loughman said responding officers arrested James William McGee a short time later. He was hiding behind the store in some trees, changing out of his disguise, which included a brownish or grey wig. “The abnormally large stomach was part of his disguise,” Loughman said. “It was a pillow tied around his midsection.” On Tuesday, prosecutors filed two charges of aggravated robbery against McGee. He is in the Tarrant County Jail with bail set at $70,000.