Man arrested in Feb. 12 armed robbery of Dollar General Store on Paris Road; He confessed and turned over a BB-gun, hooded sweatshirt and back pack used

A 20-year-old Chalmette man whose only prior arrest was for shoplifting was booked Tuesday with the Feb 12 armed robbery of a Dollar General Store on Paris Road in Chalmette, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The man confessed and led sheriff’s detectives to where he hid a back pack containing a BB-gun he showed a store employee in the robbery, a hooded sweatshirt, a mask and hat used, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The bicycle he fled on after the robbery was also recovered. The stolen cash was gone.

Matthew Hendershot, 522 W. Liberaux St., Chalmette, who lived several blocks from the store, was booked with armed robbery after detectives developed information including his name and went to his home for questioning.

Sheriff Pohlmann said Hendershot admitted he committed the robbery and took detectives to a spot behind an apartment building where he had stashed a green and black back pack he wore that night, and which when found contained a realistic-looking black BB-gun and the other items used in the robbery.

The suspect had carried the BB-gun in his waistband and showed it to an employee when he forced him to fill a bag with money, the sheriff said.

No one was injured in the robbery at a Dollar General Store in the 3300 block of Paris Road.

Henderson’s only previous arrest was a year ago for shoplifting in Chalmette, authorities said.

He was being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison and will have bond set in his case by a magistrate judge on Wednesday.