Ames Police arrested Ardragus Lawson on Friday after officers executed a search warrant on his home at 420 E. Seventh St. #C-12.

Lawson, 27, was charged with second-degree robbery for the April 3 holdup at Hy-Vee Food & Drug Store, 640 Lincoln Way.

The charge is a Class C felony and punishable with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Ames Police Sgt. Randy Kessel said the department was led to the suspect after witnesses came forward with descriptions and other information.

“If someone isn’t arrested on the scene, we always re-interview any witnesses,” Kessel said. “After stories are published in the papers, many people who didn’t realize they knew something about the incident until they read about it … give us more leads.”

Following this standard procedure, Kessel said most crimes of this nature usually are solved.

“It is very rare that we don’t solve a crime of this magnitude,” he said.

“It may not be that day, but put time and distance between anything, and you will get the information that will lead to an arrest,” Kessel said.

Monte Streit, Hy-Vee store director, said he was pleased with how the police department handled the case.

“The day of the robbery they responded very quickly and were very attentive. They did a great job communicating with everyone,” Streit said. “This says a lot for the town of Ames.”

Streit said nothing of this nature has happened at the Hy-Vee store since it opened last year.

He said Hy-Vee will continue to use the same safety precautions they have been following to prevent robberies from happening in the future.

Kessel said he was pleased no one was injured in the robbery and that the department was able to make an arrest quickly.

“We really had good public support on this,” Kessel said. “I encourage all people to call if they have information on any case. It really helps us.”