The unseen impression of the barrel of a gun on flesh and the cold, hard metal pressure against Anthony’s head, neck and back have left a lasting impression in his mind.

The internal reverberation of the base of the gun smacking the side of his skull and the feel of his hands and feet hog-tied with a telephone cord behind his back also sticks out in his mind.

Anthony will never forget the night he robbed at gunpoint.

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Halfway through I just closed my eyes and was waiting to die, Anthony said. They can only stick a gun to the back of your head so many times without thinking that one of these times they’re actually going to do it.

Anthony, who requested his name be changed, was robbed by two men in his home just blocks from the SIU campus last October. He managed to escape the situation physically unharmed.

His scenario is something he shares with six Carbondale businesses in 2002 and many other individuals who have been robbed at gunpoint.

The Midwest Cash armed robbery, which occurred March 24, 2001 is a prime example of how a local business can be effected. Local businesswoman and Midwest Cash manager Lucia L. Cristaudo was taken hostage at the store and killed when the getaway car crashed on Lincoln Drive. This armed robbery was the second in 2001, prefacing 20 subsequent armed robberies for the year, Carbondale Police Chief R.T. Finney said.

Robberies usually peak around holidays when people are short of money, Finney said.

Both of the Days Inn armed robberies took place during the holiday season. The Days Inn, 801 E. Main St., was robbed for the second time since November on Jan. 7 and manager Yogi Patel says it has had a detrimental effect on business.

People are scared to come to the hotel, Patel said. We are losing business because of this.

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Mia Davidson, a Days Inn desk clerk, said that on a typical weekend, 40 to 60 of the hotel’s 70 rooms are occupied, and since the armed robberies, the Days Inn has had a 10 to 15-room occupancy drop.

Davidson works the night shift and was on duty on the evening of Jan. 7 when a man entered the lobby. Davidson was sitting behind the counter when the man approached her and pulled out a revolver, demanding money.

He kept telling me not to look at him, Davidson said. And he kind of coached me through it saying you’re doing good’ and things like that.

Davidson said the robber didn’t make threats to her and the entire situation happened quickly. The robber made off with more than $1,000 of the establishment’s money.

Initially, Davidson said she was shaken up by the experience.

It was just nerve-wracking having a gun pointed at you it’s just nerve-wracking in general, Davidson said. But [Patel] has made security provisions to ensure we are safe.

I don’t feel like I’m threatened. I feel safe enough.

In the aftermath, Patel stepped up security, including the installation of security cameras and the implementation of perpetually locked doors.

Knights Inn manager Jacob Boateng hopes increased security measures will deter future robberies at his business.

Boateng was doing some tidying up in the office of the Knights Inn, 2400 W. Main St., in the early morning hours of March 17 when he heard a knock on the office door. He was expecting someone and did not hesitate to open the door. Boateng did not find his expected visitor on the other side. What he did find was a small revolver shoved inches from his face.

Boateng said the suspect ordered him to open the safe and to give him any money from anywhere in the hotel. Earlier in the evening Boateng took money to the bank night deposit drop, so little cash was on hand. The suspect settled for Boateng’s wallet, keys, a gold rope chain and money from the cash register.

This incident marks the third armed robbery for Boateng and the Knights Inn since October.

Because we are on the outskirts of town, people think we are easy prey, Boateng said. Fortunately, Carbondale Police have people to respond quickly.

Boateng said the latest robbery has employees practicing extra caution. He said all doors except for the main entrance are now kept locked and often checked by employees.

Personally, it’s rare that I ever leave the vicinity of the front desk no more than five or 10 minutes, Boateng said.

Anytime Boateng runs into an unfamiliar face in the halls of the hotel, he doesn’t hesitate to ask the individual which room they are staying in or what their business is in the hotel.

Boateng said hotel business has dropped following each of the armed robberies. People come in and mention it, but business usually bounces back within a few weeks.

A waitress at Sonic Drive In, 980 E. Main St., was the victim of armed robbery Jan. 26, and a manager, who wished to be unnamed, said business stayed about the same.

The manager said the waitress has since quit, but other employee morale and store policy has remained consistent with that before the robbery.

We’ve been open for almost eight years, and this is the first time it’s happened, the manager said. A lot of businesses aren’t as lucky as us.

For Anthony, expecting the unexpected has become a way of life. He said that after the element of normalcy was taken from his life, he finds himself looking over his shoulder more often, but he has tried not to let his day-to-day routine be affected because he feels the robbers would win.

I guess if I could say one thing to the robbers, Anthony said, It would be, what would possess you to belittle and disrespect someone like that. How can you live with yourself?

Reporter Sara Hooker can be reached at [email protected]

Reporter Sara Hooker can be reached at [email protected].