Kroger Robbery - Masterworks III Symphony 250 Celebration Rehearsal
Police believe the suspect in a robbery Wednesday night at the Kroger on West Schrock Road is the same person involved in a series of robberies at other Kroger stores in the Columbus area, according to a Westerville police report.
The robbery was reported at 9:10 p.m. at the store at 55 W. Schrock Road.
Police said an unidentified white male wearing black clothing and a black face-covering grabbed a female employee as she was depositing money into a cash counter near the front of the store. The suspect put her in a headlock and stole $511.18, according to the report.
An off-duty employee pulled the suspect away from the worker, but the man fled with the money, police said.
Investigators said the suspect then came back into the store and made a threat that employees interpreted as a reference to getting a gun and shooting them. He then ran from the area and left in a dark-colored sedan seen on surveillance video.
Police said video showed the suspect arrive in the parking lot shortly after 9 p.m., enter the store with a shopping cart, and walk through several aisles while watching the area around the bill counter before the robbery.
A Kroger loss prevention employee told police the suspect matched the description of a man discussed earlier that day during a conference call about robberies at other Kroger stores in central Ohio. The employee said a Kroger at 6580 E. Main St. in Reynoldsburg was robbed the previous day by a suspect who left with about $50 and was seen driving a black Ford Fusion.
The suspect in the Westerville robbery was described as a white man, possibly in his mid- to late 30s, wearing a black hoodie, black gloves, blue pants, and black-and-white sneakers, according to the report.
Police listed robbery and assault in the incident report and said the case was forwarded to detectives for further investigation.
Masterworks Rehearsal For Sunday Concert
With the score open before her and Maestro Peter Stafford Wilson conducting nearby, composer Jennifer Bernard Merkowitz listened Thursday as the Westerville Symphony brought her new work, “Till All Success Be Nobleness,” to life ahead of Sunday’s world premiere.
The moment came during a special donor and partner rehearsal preview at Otterbein University’s Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, where guests were invited behind the scenes for a closer look at the orchestra’s preparation for “Masterworks III: A Symphonic Celebration of America 250.”
The evening began with a brief welcome, followed by a conversation with Merkowitz about the newly commissioned work. Written for the Westerville Symphony and inspired by Westerville’s history, “Till All Success Be Nobleness” gives the community a rare opportunity to hear its own story reflected through a new orchestral score.
Merkowitz spoke about the ideas behind the piece and the process of translating local history into music. For those in attendance, the conversation offered context before the orchestra began rehearsing, turning the preview into more than a look at the mechanics of performance. It became a chance to hear how a commission moves from concept to score to sound.
Wilson then led the orchestra through rehearsal, shaping phrases, refining entrances and working through the details that will define the piece in performance. With the composer present, the session also highlighted the living nature of new music. The score was not simply being played. It was being interpreted in real time through the shared work of composer, conductor and musicians.
Sunday’s concert is part of the Ron Lykins Concert Series and continues the Westerville Symphony’s 2025-26 season. In addition to Merkowitz’s world premiere, the program features George Gershwin’s “Catfish Row: Suite from Porgy and Bess.”
“Masterworks III” will be performed Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 5 p.m. at Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall on the campus of Otterbein University. A pre-concert talk begins at 4 p.m. Additional information is available at westervillesymphony.org.
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