Police: Woman assisted boyfriend in armed robbery at Columbus store

Kimberly Nikole Huffman admitted to assisting her boyfriend in an armed robbery early Thursday at an unspecified grocery store in the 4200 block of Buena Vista Road, according to testimony Tuesday morning in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Huffman, 29, pleaded not guilty to armed robbery, aggravated assault and false imprisonment charges. Police said they issued arrest warrants for Courtney Williams, who was identified as her boyfriend, but have yet to locate him.

Columbus Police Officer Michael Lincoln said he was called to the business around 8 a.m. Thursday to investigate after the 7:15 a.m. incident ended without injury.

Police said Huffman entered the establishment alone shortly before a black man armed with what appeared to be a silver semi-automatic pistol entered. He was dressed in all black clothing and wore a white and green bandana across his face, Lincoln noted.

The gunman briefly pointed his weapon at Huffman and then repeatedly aimed it at the clerk’s head as the defendant “calmly” left the scene in a silver vehicle, Lincoln testified.

The armed suspect forced the employee on the ground and fled the scene on foot with an undetermined amount of cash. He headed in the same direction as the defendant, police noted.

Lincoln said he viewed a store surveillance video that shows Huffman arrive to the store in the silver vehicle and enter the business. Shortly after, the male suspect left the rear passenger side seat of that same vehicle and robbed the business, police said.

Huffman, who was dressed in her work uniform at the time of the incident, was taken into custody at her job. She admitted to her involvement in the crime and also added that her two children were in the car at the time, police said.

“From my understanding, she was cooperative with detectives,” Lincoln said. “She finally admitted that she was involved, knew what was going on and implicated her boyfriend Courtney Williams as the suspect who committed the crime.”

Judge Michael Cielinski ordered Huffman held in the Muscogee County Jail without bond on the single count of armed robbery but granted bonds totaling $10,000 on the remaining charges. Her case was bound over to Superior Court.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Police: Woman assisted boyfriend in armed robbery at Columbus store."