BOARDMAN TWP., Ohio -  Two people from Mercer County were arrested in Boardman after being accused of driving away with $888 worth of groceries from the GFS without paying.

The manager of the Gordon Food Services store on South Avenue told police that the man filled a shopping cart with items, including a beef ribeye slab priced at $200.

The manager said the man left the store without paying, and a woman helped him load the goods into an SUV with a Pennsylvania license plate.

Calling police quickly, the manager gave dispatchers a description of the SUV and the direction of travel.

Officers soon pulled the SUV over along Route 224 and questioned the couple inside.

As he was being arrested, the man told police he had a semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. Police also found him carrying a folding knife.

What would have been a theft charge turned into a charge of robbery filed against 41-year-old Richard Rain of Farrell, Pennsylvania because he was carrying a firearm.

The woman with him, 43-year-old Patrice Pinkins of Sharon, is charged with complicity.

Investigators say they recovered 39 stolen items valued at $888.

The store manager told police that the store would have to discard the recovered meat, freezer, and refrigerated items.