Case Study Scenario Assignment - 10 Marks

Scenario Assignment – 10 marks

Read the Case Study and answer the questions below. Please be thorough with your answers. This assignment is worth 10% of your final mark.

The police received a call from the Never Close Convenience Store at 224 Fourth Ave., two blocks west of Main Street. The caller stated that she was a cashier at the store and had just been robbed at knifepoint by a lone male.

Two officers, Smith and Brown, attended as soon as possible but were delayed by heavy snowfall and poor road conditions. The officers arrived at 2:45 a.m. and found a distraught clerk (Sally Little) waiting for them at the store entrance.

Sally advised the officers that she normally worked the midnight-to-eight shift at the store. At about 2:20 a.m., she had just finished serving a regular customer, Bob Black, who had purchased a package of cigarettes on his way home from work. Sally stated that Bob had been gone about 30 seconds when she noticed a middle-aged man dressed in a heavy green parka enter the store.

On entering the store, the man, who wore a black toque and gloves, stood for a moment stamping his feet on the mat to remove the snow from his boots. After looking around the store, he approached Sally, who was behind the counter, and asked for a package of Player’s Light cigarettes. Sally turned to pick up the package, and when she turned back to face the man, he had a hunting knife in his hand and stated that he wanted all the money in the cash register. Sally said she did not move immediately because she was in shock. The man then repeated his demand, saying that if she did not do as she was told, he would have to cut her up.

Sally advised the officers that she then moved to the cash register and opened it. She took out all the cash and handed it to the man, who then asked for a bag. Sally gave the man a plastic bag and watched as he placed the cash into the bag. The man warned Sally not to call for help and he fled the store. Sally advised the officers that she watched as the man fled west toward Main Street. She could not see him for very long because he disappeared around a corner. She then called the police.

While Officer Brown took a brief statement, including a full description of the robber, Officer Smith inspected the area around the store. The snow continued to fall and the streets were deserted. Smith noticed an area near the southwest corner of Fourth and Main where it was obvious that a snowplow had gone around a parked vehicle that was no longer there. Smith concluded that the vehicle had departed after the snowplow had gone by, because he noticed that its tire marks crossed the mound of snow left by the plow. When Smith looked around the area from the vantage point of the store’s front door, he noticed a lighted window in an apartment building across the street from the store.

1. Where should Brown and Smith begin their search for witnesses? Explain your answer. (3)
2. Identify potential witnesses and explain your choices. (3)
3. Describe the evidence that each potential witness might provide. (4)