MILLSBORO, Del.- Two Frankford men are behind bars in connection with a pair of convenience store robberies and other crimes.
Delaware State Police said the first holdup happened shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Royal Farms, located at 26672 Johns J. Williams Highway (SR24) in Millsboro. Troopers said the investigation revealed that a male suspect, wearing a mask and armed with a handgun, and demanded money from the register. The female clerk complied with the demand and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash before the suspect fled in an unknown direction, according to police.
As troopers were investigating that incident, a second robbery occurred at around 4:30 a.m. at the Dash Inn, located at 24851 John J. Williams Highway, also in Millsboro. Police said that in this incident, a male suspect entered the store and pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the female clerk. Troopers said the suspect demanded cash and upon opening the cash drawer, the female victim fled the store and entered her car. Police said the suspect removed the cash and then fled the business in a vehicle, which was soon broadcast across the police radio.
Troopers responding to the second robbery were on the lookout for the vehicle, which was described as a Kia Rio, and located it driving eastbound on SR24 west of Warrington Road. Police said that upon attempting to conduct a traffic stop, the car continued eastbound and items which were later located to be handguns, could be seen thrown out of the window. The vehicle finally came to a stop on Warrington Road and Matthew R. Edwards, 19, and Zack Umstead, 20, both of Frankford, were taken into custody.
Police said the investigation that followed revealed that the Kia Rio was stolen earlier that evening from a home located on West Alabama Drive in Frankford. The two handguns were also stolen from a home in Bethany Meadows on Tuesday, Jan. 17, according to investigators.
Edwards and Umstead were both charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony second-degree conspiracy, theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of receiving a stolen firearm, and various other charges. Edwards was ordered held in the Sussex Correctional Institution on $164,500 cash bond and Umstead was ordered held on $183,002 cash bond.
