Athens: Taped-up clerk dials 911 with nose

ATHENS, Tenn. — A clerk at the Dollar General Store who was duct-taped to a display by a robber knocked a phone off the hook with her foot and dialed 911 using her nose, Athens police said.

Detective Heith Willis said the clerk had just opened the store Saturday when a man came in, told her he had a gun and ordered her to open the safe. He said the man grabbed a money bag and some cash, then taped the clerk and left. Police found the woman still taped but unharmed, he said.

“This one was unusual,” Detectives Willis said. “He was in and out in about 90 seconds.”

The robber wore a red and blue ski mask, a long-sleeved shirt, gray pants and gloves. A security camera showed he drove a white car with tinted windows, the detective said.