He attempted to rob a liquor store. Days later, he confessed with an apology letter, cops say

The 22-year-old man who attempted to rob a Bradenton liquor store on Christmas Eve has been apprehended, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Evan Jones entered the Palma Sola Discount Beverage store, 8530 Cortez Road W., around 7:20 p.m. Sunday wearing a black mask and a black motorcycle helmet. He allegedly used a rifle in an effort to intimidate the clerk into putting money in a backpack he placed on the counter.

Surveillance footage from the store shows that Jones was startled by another customer and fled the scene without stealing any money. A K-9 deputy tracked his scent to a bush where Jones stashed the items he used to attempt the robbery, including a dark sweater, the helmet, the mask and a loaded Remington .22-caliber rifle.

Detectives used those items to identify Jones and arrested him Thursday night just a block away from where the robbery occurred. According to an arrest report, Jones confessed to the crime and wrote the store clerk an apology letter.

Jones has been charged with armed robbery with a firearm and is being held under $100,000 bond.

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 10:39 PM with the headline "He attempted to rob a liquor store. Days later, he confessed with an apology letter, cops say."