Four New Hampshire residents were arrested by police Monday evening in connection with two crimes that took place earlier in the day in York and Wells.

Police said three women and a man unsuccessfully tried to steal a purse from a 68-year-old woman in York before driving north to Wells, where two of them entered a convenience store wearing masks and brandishing knives.

By Monday night, all four suspects were in police custody and were being held on robbery charges at the York County Jail in Alfred. Cash bail for each suspect was set at $50,000.

The first robbery took place in York around 1:30 p.m. near the Anchorage Inn on Long Beach Avenue.

Detective Sgt. Thomas Cryan said York police officers responded to a call for help and found the 68-year-old woman, who said she had been walking on the sidewalk when a robber – she was not sure if it was a man or woman – approached her from behind and tried to remove a purse she was carrying on her shoulder.

York police posted a surveillance video of the robbery on the department’s Facebook page.

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Cryan said the victim screamed for help and fell to the ground, never letting go of her purse. The suspect fled in a silver-colored sedan.

Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said that around 3 p.m. Monday a masked man and a woman entered Chase’s convenience store on Route 109 in Wells brandishing knives. The pair demanded money and cigarettes from the clerk.

Wells police received a silent alarm, alerting them to the robbery at Chase’s. Officers converged on the store and began searching for the suspects. They found Jeremy Jewell, 19, of Laconia, New Hampshire near the Wells toll plaza. He was taken into custody by Maine State Police.

A short time later, an off-duty Wells police officer located the getaway vehicle on Sawyer Road in Wells. Brittany Washburn, 25, of Laconia, New Hampshire, and Alea Webster, 19, of Gilford, New Hampshire, were taken into custody by Wells police.

Wells police received a tip that the fourth person involved in the store robbery was at the Wells Transportation Center. Wells police arrested Natausha Deroche, 21, of Laconia, New Hampshire.

The four suspects were interrogated at the Wells police station.

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“It was found that they had committed a strong-arm robbery in York,” Putnam said in a news release.

“After extensive interviews with all the individuals, it appears as though this is a crime of opportunity and that there is no further danger to the citizens of the town of Wells,” Putnam said.

Wells police were assisted by the Maine State Police, Ogunquit police, York police, Wells Emergency Medical Services, the Maine Turnpike Authority and local citizens.

“It was a group effort,” Putnam said. “I truly appreciate the effort from our community at large.”

 


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