Investigations into fake robbery lead to three arrests

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – Three men are behind bars in connection with what police say was a fake robbery at a Wichita Falls supermarket earlier this month.

The Wichita Falls Police Department’s press office said false police reports could put many people at risk.

On June 7, former Stripes store employee Alvercicio Godet called police and reported that the store was being robbed. After investigating, detectives determined it was a staged robbery between Godet and his accomplices McKenzie Smith and Ke’syiah Dreshon Austin.

They are currently being held in the Wichita County Jail on $5,000 bail, and all men are charged with theft of property valued over $100 but under $750.

Wichita Falls Police Sergeant Charlie Eipper said the danger is greater when police receive a call about an armed robbery.

“Because now officers think there’s someone there who has a weapon, a firearm. So if they come across someone who may not be the same person but looks like them, they’re going to stop them and treat them as if they possibly have a weapon,” he said.

According to the affidavit, Godet reported the robbery and said a tall man wearing a black hoodie and gray shorts came in with a firearm.

Officials said surveillance video showed a man matching that description coming in and purchasing items about two hours before the report. Then, around the time of the report, he came back in, this time with a bandana over his face. The man’s description matched Smith’s.

“Everyone thinks they can get away with something like this or they’re the first to think of it. That’s not the case. If you’re planning something like this, it’s not our first rodeo,” he said.

Eipper added that this report was made about the same Stripes supermarket where an employee was killed in an attempted robbery in February 2022, a memory that is still fresh in the minds of many officers.

Such fake reports tie up resources that might be needed for other measures.

Sargent Eipper said Godet will also be charged with making false statements, which could land him in prison for up to a year.

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