Suspect in White City machete robbery identified - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Suspect in White City machete robbery identified John Harry Wilkes Wednesday Mar 8, 2017 at 9:09 AM Mar 8, 2017 at 10:38 AM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil The Jackson County Sheriff's Department has identified a suspect they say robbed a gas station of cigarettes and cash last month while wielding a machete. John Harry Wilkes, 29, described as a transient who has ties to White City and Grants Pass, is sought by police for a Feb. 19 robbery at a 76 station near the intersection of Highway 62 and Antelope Road, according to a post on the agency's Facebook page. The incident happened at 11:30 p.m., when a man believed to be Wilkes approached a gas-station attendant and asked for a pack of cigarettes. The man told the attendant he had forgotten his wallet and would be right back, and when the man returned, he was wearing gloves and a bandana and carrying a machete. The man stole cash and cigarettes then fled across Highway 62 to a dark-colored sedan with LED headlights. No one was injured in the robbery. Wilkes is described as white, 6-feet-1, about 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He has a previous conviction for second-degree burglary, according to court records. There is also a case open against him for unlawful use of a weapon from Jan. 11, records show.  Anyone with information about the case or Wilkes' whereabouts is asked to contact Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon at 541-776-7206. The case number is 17-3485. — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.