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The Andalusia Police Department has charged a local man in the Monday night robbery of the Dollar General on River Falls Street.

William Shane Cowart, 43, of Andalusia, is charged with first-degree robbery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is set at $215,000.

He was arrested within an hour after officers responded to a call at the store at about 9:45 Monday night. Clerks reported a masked male with a handgun had entered the store, made contact with the clerks, and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

The APD was assisted by the tracking team from the Covington County Sheriff’s Department Reserves. Together, they tracked the suspect to the area of Packer Avenue/Packer Field.

The APD made contact at a residence and got a search warrant for the house, where they recovered shoes and other clothing the robber was wearing at the time of the robbery.

In executing the search warrant, they found a small amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the pants the robber is believed to have been wearing. They also recovered other evidence they believe was used in the robbery.

Chief Paul Hudson said Cowart also was on federal probation for drug charges at the time of his arrest.

Hudson expressed his appreciation to APD officers for their efficient work, and to the Sheriff’s Reserves for their assistance.