WELLS —One man and three women are in custody at York County Jail this morning, after one of them allegedly threw a woman to the ground in York and attempted to steal her purse Monday afternoon. Then, 1 1/2 hours later, two of the four allegedly held up Chase’s Convenience Store on Route 109 in Wells. One of them was allegedly brandishing a knife.

The four, in their teens and early 20s, hail from New Hampshire. Each of them are held on $50,000 cash bail.

Video footage of the 1:30 p.m. York incident retrieved by police from a nearby hotel shows a woman walking along Long Beach Avenue when a person gets out of a silver sedan, grabs the woman by the arm, swings her around and down to the ground in an apparent attempt to steal her purse. The footage shows the individual diving back toward the silver car – without the purse – as a motorist drives by.

Then, at 3 p.m., Wells Police responded to a silent alarm at Chase’s Convenience Store, where clerks said two people wearing masks entered the store, brandished a knife, and demanded money and cigarettes.

The hold-up drew assistance from a number of local police departments, and the four were apprehended, one by one.

Jeremy

Jewell, 19, of Laconia, was located near the

Wells toll plaza and taken into custody by

Maine State

Police, who had been contacted to assist.

A short time later, an off-duty

Wells Police officer located the getaway vehicle on

Sawyer

Road and two women,

Brittany

Washburn,

25, of

Laconia, and Alea

Webster, 19, of Gilford, were taken into custody, according to a statement prepared by Wells

Police.

Shortly thereafter, police received a tip that the fourth person allegedly involved in the robbery was at Wells Transportation Center, and Natausha Deroche, 21, of Laconia was taken into custody by Wells Police.

According to the news release, prepared by Wells Police Det. Todd Bayha, it was later determined the four had allegedly been involved in the strong-arm robbery in York.

“After extensive interviewing of 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,” Bayha wrote. “The Wells Police Department would like to thank the Maine State Police, Ogunquit Police Department, York Police Department, Wells Emergency Medical Services, The Maine Turnpike Authority and the citizens of the town of Wells who cooperated and assisted in the arrests of four individuals involved in this incident.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324–4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282–1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].