A man that was suspected of robbing a WESTCO convenience store in Crawford has been arrested.

According to Dawes County Sheriff Karl Dailey, on Feb. 23 deputies received a search warrant for a Crawford residence to look for the vehicle used in a robbery at a WESTCO store. The vehicle was seized.

The primary suspect in the case is Derek Martinez. Martinez is also wanted in Denver, Colorado for sex offender violations, Dailey said.

Deputies received a second search warrant for the residence to search for Martinzez and more evidence from the robbery. 

“When deputies went to execute the warrant, they had grounds to believe that Martinez was in the house. It was discovered that young children and an elderly man were also in the house,” said Dailey.

With assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol, deputies took Martinez into custody. The children and elderly man were examined by Crawford Emergency Medical Services personnel and turned over to the children’s mother.

The case is still under investigation.

“We would also like to thank the public whose tips gave us some very useful information,” said Dailey.