By John Howell
Panola deputies were en route to Tupelo at mid-morning Monday to bring Michael Scott Foster to Batesville where he faces charges for an armed robbery attempt last Tuesday in Pope. The incident so terrified the victim that the suspect was driven away by her screams of her alarm. The attempt briefly forced a lockdown at nearby Pope School and triggered an extensive search by county and state law enforcement officers.

Panola Sheriff Dennis Darby said that Tupelo police apprehended Foster based on information placed into the National Crime Information Computer by Panola investigators.

PSO Investigator Danny Beavers had presented a photo lineup of six to ten photos to the victim. She readily picked Foster’s photo, Beavers said last week. The identifying information was placed into the National Crime Information Computer.

The victim told investigators that he came into her Magnolia Street home and brandished a handgun. The suspect apparently panicked when his victim started screaming. He ran behind the gin in Pope and behind The Place restaurant where he is believed to have had a waiting vehicle. Deputies responded within minutes, soon joined by State Troopers, but the suspect eluded them.
Beavers identified Foster as the suspect and said that he was from Moreville near Tupelo.