Within an hour, merchandise from two local businesses was stolen Wednesday afternoon.

At about 3:30 p.m., a sales associate at Citi Trends, 3205 Elm Street, noticed a black man carrying an arm full of clothes to the back of the store and asked if he needed any help. Instead of replying, the man reportedly ran out of the store's back door and into the street toward the Covington Housing Authority.

The sales associate described the man as having a medium build, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a small curly Afro. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue striped shirt.

An hour later, a cashier at Checkers Drive-In, 3194 US Highway 278, was filling a customer's drinks when the customer drove away without paying. Manager Lisa Crawford told officers the corporate office had access to the surveillance recordings, which clearly showed the customer's face. Crawford said when the she received a copy of the recordings, she would provide a copy to officers.