Area arrest linked to a local robbery

LIVELY

Bullard officer Bryan Richards believes that the first armed robbery in at least 22 years could be wrapped up.

Last week, Carl Lively, 54, of Palestine, was charged with three counts of aggravated robbery for three armed robberies in Smith County occurring over the summer.

It was June when Lively allegedly struck Bullard's Dollar General.

At the time, police had a general description of one suspect - a white male with graying hair.

Authorities said Lively threatened with a handgun clerks and customers at more than 30 convenience and liquor stores across East Texas in a matter of months.

Gun Barrel police picked him up on a minor traffic incident that ultimately broke the case.

Sgt. Randy Meadows, with the Smith County Sheriff's Office, said warrants were served on Lively for May and June robberies at the Starrville Grocery Store and a June robbery of the Stop and Shop on U.S. Highway 271 in eastern Smith County.

Richards said he's filed for the June Dollar General one.

Since his arrest, law enforcement agencies in more than 20 counties have presented photo lineups to store clerks to identify the man as their robber.

Lively was arrested by a Gun Barrel City Police Department officer who saw a minor traffic accident in a parking lot two weeks ago.

While taking a report, the officer realized the man involved and his blue Chevy Tahoe matched the description of a suspect linked to dozens of aggravated robberies, including one the officer had worked.

The Gun Barrel officer noticed Lively had an expired driver's license and he was taken in on driving without a license. The armed robbery charges followed.

Lively is in the Henderson County jail on eight counts of aggravated robbery, with combined bonds of more than $1.6 million dollars. Bonds in the Smith County cases were preset at $500,000 each.

According to local reports, a man fitting Lively's description with the same vehicle walked into the store about 5 p.m. armed and ordered the cashier to the back of Dollar General after he took about $300 from the register.

She said if she didn't comply, he would shoot her.

The employee went straight to the manager's office and called the police, but the suspects had already fled the scene before the police arrived minutes later.

The robbery came as a surprise to Chief Gary Don Lewis.

"This is the first armed robbery I've seen in Bullard," said Lewis, who has been with the department for 22 years.