By Rupert Howell
Local law enforcement agencies continue to investigate a Saturday morning robbery at a residence in the Mt. Olivet Community in southeast Panola County where a woman was tied up after she was forced to open a safe and hand the contents over to two robbers.
Panola County Chief Deputy Chris Franklin said Pauline McCullar managed to call for assistance after getting free from the zip ties used to subdue her movement after the assailants got away with her car, cash and cell phone.
Franklin lives nearby and said the robbers told the victim they weren’t there to hurt her but to, “Get what was owed to us. We have families to feed, too,” Franklin said, quoting McCullar.
McCullar was recently widowed when her husband, Thomas “Peach Man” McCullar died unexpectedly at their home December 28. The couple operates a peach orchard next to the hilltop home situated between Dees Road and 315 Highway. Those peaches are sold each summer in surrounding towns such as Batesville, Oxford and Water Valley.
Franklin said Mrs. McCullar was at her home alone when she noticed her dog acting strangely and looked out to see someone crouched behind an outbuilding near the hilltop home.
Two white men dressed in full camouflage, one tall and one short, overcame her and took her into the house where they demanded she open a safe that contained an undetermined amount of cash which Franklin would only describe as considerable.
One of the assailants had a pack on and the only weapon seen by Mrs. McCullar was a machete type knife in the backpack. A .45 caliber Judge pistol was taken during the robbery, Franklin noted.
After the safe was opened the assailants tied her to a chair using nylon “zip ties,” and when one hurt her wrist, the considerate assailant replaced it with another, according to Franklin.
The victims left taking her car and cellphone. The phone was later found at the intersection of Highway 6 and Terza Road after investigators used the “Find my IPhone” app.  The car was located through its OnStar subscription service. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officers were combing McCullar’s car and other items Monday searching for any clues including prints or DNA to help locate suspects.
Prior to those findings, Franklin said, “We’ve got nothing.”