May McDonald’s robbery nets man $13,000, arrest warrant

Investigators said a May armed robbery of a McDonald’s restaurant netted a Lawton man around $13,000 and, now, an arrest warrant.

On Wednesday, the Comanche County District Court issued a felony arrest warrant for Toney Larue Conway III, 30, for counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm and possession of a firearm after former felony convictions, records indicate. With four prior felony convictions, he faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the robbery.

Lawton Police Detective Abe Woelfel investigated the May 27 robbery of the McDonald’s, 30 S. Sheridan.

During the robbery, a man wearing a ski mask, gloves and a jacket approached a restaurant employee who was standing outside and pressed a handgun to her back and escorted her inside, the warrant affidavit states. The robber pointed his handgun at several employees, threatening them, before taking $13,000 from the cash register and safe, Woelfel stated.

Following the robbery, the suspect ran across South Sheridan Road westbound. He was seen on a neighborhood security camera running up to 2418 SW Cornell where there’s an enclosed porch and took off the mask, gloves, jacket and shoes and stood outside shirtless, in shorts and wearing socks and acting like a concerned citizen as police searched the area, the affidavit states. This is where police were able to identify Conway, according to Woelfel.

Police spoke with Conway, who said he was waiting on a ride to his job. After police left, he put back on his shoes and walked away from the home, according to the affidavit. Later that day, the residents of the home came outside to discover the discarded clothing and an empty money bag and they called police.

Woelfel reviewed the restaurant security video of the robbery as well as the police body camera interview of Conway at the home and it was posted on Facebook to Crime Stoppers of Southwest Oklahoma’s page. After the video was posted, the restaurant manager contacted Woelfel and told him she’d interviewed Conway for a job not long before the robbery but he wasn’t hired due to concerns about his criminal history, the affidavit states.

Conway’s prior felony convictions are from Oklahoma County: January 2013, robbery with a firearm and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; and May 2015 for robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of drugs with the intent to distribute, records indicate.