TAMAQUA - Two men suspected in the robberies of several convenience stores in Schuylkill and Carbon counties were arrested Monday on unrelated charges stemming from a high-speed chase Sunday night.
Jose W. Nunez, 18, of 666 N. Locust St., Hazleton, was charged with felony offenses of receiving stolen property and firearms not to be carried without a license, a misdemeanor charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police, and summary offenses of reckless driving, careless driving, registration and certificate of title required, driving without insurance, driving a vehicle without an official Certificate of Inspection and following too closely.
Tysheed Laron Hargrove, 18, who has no fixed address, was charged with felony offenses of receiving stolen property and firearms not to be carried without a license.
Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua, set bail at $100,000 straight cash and remanded each man to Schuylkill County Prison.
During the brief arraignment about 10:30 a.m., Bayer hinted at other charges pending against the two.
"Your cooperation with authorities has led to potential other things down the road," Bayer told the men.
Before the judge set bail, Tamaqua police Chief David Mattson asked Bayer to take into consideration the seriousness of the charges and the fact that other offenses are pending.
"I believe the bail should be substantial," Mattson said, referring to several facts - police said a cruiser was rammed, that Hargrove has no fixed address and that the two fled from police.
Sunday's incident began when Tamaqua Patrolman Robert Minnick saw Nunez behind the wheel of a vehicle without a license plate. Minnick said the driver pulled out when Minnick got behind the car, and he tried to initiate a traffic stop on East Broad Street.
Minnick said Nunez pulled over but then fled at a high speed when Minnick got out of the police cruiser.
Minnick got back into the cruiser and followed Nunez, and the chase continued east on Route 209 into Coaldale, where Coaldale and Lansford police where were waiting for the fleeing vehicle.
Minnick said Nunez made it around the other officers, however, and continued toward Nesquehoning, where an officer tried to get in front of him and slow him down, Minnick said.
Nunez passed the Nesquehoning officer and turned west onto Route 54, where the officer was again able to pass and get in front of him.
Minnick said Nunez then rammed the back of the Nesquehoning car, but a maneuver by the officer caused Nunez to lose control of his car. The vehicle went off the road and came to a stop, and both he and Hargrove were taken into custody.
Two back-seat passengers were also taken into custody and later released.
Minnick said a black handgun was in plain view inside the vehicle and police later determined the gun was stolen and reported to state police at Blooming Grove.
Mattson commended Minnick and the other officers in not only bringing a safe end to the chase but also for taking the two suspected robbers into custody. He also said the arrests and pending charges are the result of cooperation between several local police department, state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Nancy Norris-O'Dowd with the FBI's Philadelphia media office confirmed Monday that the two men are suspects in the recent rash of convenience store robberies in multiple jurisdictions.
She said the FBI is assisting local law enforcement due to the large, multicounty area in which the robberies occurred. The charges, if any, will be filed on the local level, Norris-O'Dowd said.
"They're still sorting out who will take which facet," she said. "The FBI is assisting."
An agent from the FBI's Scranton office confirmed in court Monday that additional charges are in the works.
"We do have an interest in these two individuals for a pending investigation," the agent said.
The men are suspects in six robberies, the most recent of which occurred early Sunday, when a man entered Fegley Mini Mart in Tamaqua and robbed the clerk with a gun. That was the second time Fegley in Tamaqua was robbed in less than a month. On Jan. 20, a masked gunman made off with cash from the store.
On Friday morning, an armed man held up Turkey Hill Minit Market in Rush Township and the Exxon/Uni-Mart in West Mahanoy Township, just outside Frackville.
On Jan. 26, the Fegley Mini Mart in McAdoo was robbed, and on Jan. 29, an armed man made off with cash from a Wawa store on Route 940 in Kidder Township, Carbon County.
Police said the description of the suspect was similar in all six robberies.