Two robberies were worked by the Picayune Police Department over the weekend, but only one was actually a robbery.

Assistant Chief of Police Jeremy Magri said the first occurred on Saturday when officers were sent to a local check cashing business located on U.S. 11.

Officers arrived after noon to speak with 40-year-old Jaqueline Penton of 100 Tripp Lane, who told officers that while she was smoking a cigarette outside the business a customer approached her asking about a loan, Magri said.

Penton told the officers that as they entered the store, the male customer punched her in the back of the head and kicked her several times before she passed out for a few minutes, Magri said.

Penton then told the officers that after she awoke she hit the silent alarm button and later discovered that money was missing from the business, Magri said.

An ambulance was called to the scene and Penton was taken to the hospital, however, the officer noted in his report that he did not see any injuries on Penton, Magri said.

As officers spoke with customers at a restaurant across the street they received conflicting stories, but did determine that Penton’s husband, later identified as 47-year-old Arvey Penton, of the same address, was seen leaving the business several times that day, the last of which was minutes before emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, Magri said.

As the investigation continued, detectives determined that the robbery was staged by the couple, and so far it appears that Jaqueline Penton planned to use the staged crime to cover up possible embezzlement over the past several months, Magri said. An investigation is continuing into the alleged embezzlement, Magri said. Both suspects were charged with false report of a crime and conspiracy to commit a crime that same day.

The second incident involved the armed robbery of an employee of a business on Beech Street on Sunday. Officers were dispatched to the business that afternoon just before 3:30 and talked to the victim, who said a man with a number of tattoos entered the store and later asked to be checked out, Magri said.

When the victim went to check him out, the suspect, later identified as 31-year-old K.C. Joseph Chambers, of 56777 Almonaster St., Slidell, La., grabbed the victim by the neck and held a knife to his neck, Magri said. A struggle ensued where the victim suffered a minor cut to his neck, before Chambers took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and fled the scene on foot, Magri said.

Officers and investigators patrolled the area and were able to determine the direction Chambers fled. Through the investigation it was determined that Chambers had made his way to Slidell, where he was dropped off, Magri said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of armed robbery. Magri said he turned himself in to the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, where is currently being held.

Magri said Picayune Police Chief Bryan Dawsey would like to thank his staff for their hard work and swift action to identify a suspect, which led to his arrest.