State police have charged two people with the robbery of Nelson’s Mini Mart, along Route 839 in Cowanshannock Township, Armstrong County, and established a connection with the January 21st holdup of a Subway store nearby. But there’s a twist: the Nelson’s robbery occurred on September 18th last year, not last Tuesday when yet another robbery happened.
The common thread between the robbery of the mini-mart in September and the Subway last month is 34-year-old Amy McMaster of Mayport, Clarion County. She was previously arrested for the Subway holdup, and was charged yesterday with new offenses for the mini-mart job: two counts of robbery; single counts of robbery, theft, and receiving stolen property plus conspiracy to all three of those offenses, as well as terroristic threats, simple assault, and harassment.
Also arrested for the mini-mart robbery yesterday 25-year-old Dylan Smith of Dayton, who is charged with conspiracy to robbery, to receiving stolen property, and to theft.
McMaster and 23-year-old Joseph Vandervort of Dayton were charged last week with pulling off the armed robbery of the Subway, which is along Route 85 a couple of miles away from the mini-mart. Over the weekend, police announced that another suspect, 22-year-old Mark Trayer Jr, of Mayport, is under arrest for being the getaway driver.
For the mini-mart robbery in September, police say additional arrests are anticipated. Meanwhile, the investigation into last week’s armed robbery of the same store proceeds, with no arrests announced yet.
