META  — Meta citizens at Dollar General on Thursday at about 8 a.m. found themselves in a tricky situation as Allison L. Hale, 33, of Warrensburg, attempted to rob the store. Hale has been charged with second-degree robbery and first-degree property damage and is being held at the Osage County Detention Center without bond.

Witness #1 told deputies she noticed Hale behind another customer. The witness was having difficulty making change for a large bill and needed the manager’s assistance, which she obtained. When the first customer left, Hale allegedly approached the cash register and said, “Sorry, I have to do this,” and demanded all the money from the register.

According to Deputy C. Hammon’s probable cause statement, the witness said she became scared because Hale began digging through a bag she had brought to the register.

Sheriff Bonham noted that camera footage inside the store showed Hale making her way into the Christmas seasonal aisle, putting items into her backpack. She then made her way to the counter and attempted the robbery.

Witness #1 was frightened that Hale had a weapon. Hale told witness #1 not to leave the register or tell anyone. Witness #1 began to walk toward Witness #2 to get help, but witness #2 was already walking towards the register.

Witness #1 told witness # 2 that Hale was trying to rob the store. Witness #2 then asked Hale if she had a gun, and Hale replied she did not, but her boyfriend did, and he was outside in a blue car. Hale apologized again, saying, “My boyfriend is making me do it.”

According to the PC statement, it was during this time at the register that both witnesses began to struggle with Hale to keep her restrained until law enforcement could arrive. Several customers helped restrain Hale in the employees’ bathroom. During that time, Hale yelled for them to let her go and tried to open the door.

“She pulled on the handle with enough force she bent (it),” Hammon wrote in his report. “In an effort to escape, Hale then climbed up the handicapped bar next to the toilet, removed a ceiling tile, and climbed over the wall into the customer’s bathroom, believing she could get out. While climbing over the wall, she fell through the ceiling to the floor, and the customers held that door shut until deputies arrived. During the efforts to keep Hale confined to the employees’ bathroom, another witness was slightly injured but did not need medical attention at the time.”

Hammon asked witness #2 if Hale was wearing a mask. She was wearing something wrapped around her face — like what a hunter would wear to keep warm — and what witness#2 called hippie glasses, which were identified and recovered in the employees’ bathroom.

Hale allegedly said “they” chose the business because it was in a small, remote town, but she did not give the identity of “they,” according to the PC statement.

The district manager later arrived and stated it would cost more than $750 to fix the door, drop ceiling, and HVAC duct.

According to the PC statement, Hale’s vehicle, identified through the registration and vehicle identification, was located at a vacated business next door. The car could not be seen from where she was arrested. The keys were left inside the vehicle, making it easy to enter and leave the area without fear of losing them during the robbery attempt.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is thankful for the quick response from the Maries County Sheriff’s Office, Cole County Sheriff’s Office, Miller County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Highway Patrol (Troop I and Troop F), Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force, Mustang Drug Task Force, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC).