Investigations into suspected robbery lead to the arrest of an employee and two other people

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – The affidavits of three men currently behind bars for theft reveal a connection between a fake robbery at a local convenience store and a SWAT team raid on a local apartment complex earlier this month.

Ke’syiah Dreshon Austin, 21, McKenzie Montrell Smith, 24, and Alvericio Chester Godet, 24, all of Wichita Falls, are currently being held in the Wichita County Jail on $5,000 bail each. They are charged with theft of property valued over $100 but under $750.

Additionally, Godet is charged with making a false report to induce an emergency response and is held on $20,000 bail. Austin is being held without bail on a parole violation warrant from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Robbery reported at Stripes on Southwest Parkway

The theft charges stem from a report of a robbery at the Stripes store on the corner of Southwest Parkway and Taft Boulevard on Friday, June 7, 2024. Godet was the clerk at the store and Smith was formerly employed there.

According to the affidavit, Godet reported the robbery and said a large black man wearing a black hoodie and gray shorts entered with a firearm and fled west on Southwest Parkway. Police said they searched the area but did not find a suspect.

Authorities said surveillance video showed a man matching that description coming in and purchasing items about two hours before the report was made. He then came back in at the time of the report, this time with a bandana over his face.

Surveillance video from other stores shows the suspect entering and exiting the building with another large black man.

The store manager also gave police surveillance video of a break-in at the store on June 3. The video shows a former employee, Smith, coming in, crouching behind the cash register and taking money from the safes.

Police said Smith was wearing the same clothing as the man who left with the robbery suspect. Another surveillance video showed two men walking to a Colony Park apartment after the reported robbery.

WFPD and SWAT execute search warrant in Colony Park

Authorities obtained a search warrant for the apartment, which was executed a week later on Friday, June 14, 2024, with the assistance of the SWAT team. During the execution of the warrant, Smith was taken into custody, according to police.

According to authorities, Smith was willing to talk to police and told them that he and clerk Godet were involved in the robbery along with Austin. He told police they planned the robbery and he was the lookout.

Following this information, Godet was charged with theft by embezzlement and making a false report. They said the investigation showed that Godet planned the robbery, and surveillance after the robbery showed that Godet regularly visited the apartment where Smith and Austin lived, and that text messages and phone calls also proved planning of the robbery.

Police said that when Austin was arrested on an unrelated warrant and questioned about the robbery, he denied any involvement.

WFPD spokesman discusses response to false reports

While the charges against Godet, Smith and Austin are all misdemeanors and an actual aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony, authorities said the initial response to the calls is the same regardless of whether they are genuine or not. High-priority calls pose a risk to both officers and citizens.

Sergeant Charlie Eipper, spokesman for the Wichita Falls Police Department, said that a false report not only puts people in danger, but also ties up resources that may be needed for other actions.

Sergeant Eipper said the incident was reported as an armed robbery, which heightens the response due to the potential for someone with a weapon to endanger lives.

“It just gets dangerous,” said Sergeant Eipper. “Very dangerous when you make these kinds of alleged reports that are false, claiming you were robbed or someone else has a gun, and then officers come across someone who may not even be the same person, but may fit the description, clothing, etc.”

Previous robbery in this store ended fatally

In this case, Sergeant Eipper said, the police officers who responded to the call may have been thinking of a previous real robbery.

On February 12, 2022, officers responded to the same Stripes location on reports of a robbery. When they arrived at the scene, they found employee Floyd Kirt dead from gunshot wounds sustained during the robbery.

Tajmon Robinson was found guilty of capital crimes and sentenced to life in prison without parole in March 2024. He is currently appealing the verdict.