CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Police in Clarksville said a 70-year-old man was robbed as he was getting out of car after the suspect allegedly followed him home from a market.
The victim, Ody Joiner, says he wants to share his story so it can be a warning for others.
Around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the victim had pulled into the driveway of his Hadley Drive home when a man approached him, and then asked him a few questions. The man allegedly grabbed the victim and forced him against his vehicle.
"I was just scared because I wasn't sure what he was going to do next, so I just had to defend myself," says Joiner. "That's why I put my hand in the seat to make him scared."
During the scuffle, Joiner lost his glasses and the robber stole his wallet and then fled on foot. He got into a white car.
The car was later located unoccupied on S. Lancaster Road, and police developed 30-year-old Jerome Patterson as a suspect.
Patterson was taken into custody around 3 a.m. Thursday at a club on Fort Campbell Boulevard.
During an interview, he allegedly told a detective he saw the man at a store and followed him home to rob him.
Patterson was charged with robbery. He was booked into the Montgomery County jail on $10,000 bond. Police said he has a lengthy out-of-state criminal history.
It's at least the second time this month where a senior citizen has been a target of crime in Clarksville. Clarksville Police urge people, especially the elderly to be extra aware of their surroundings and keep as little cash on you as possible.
