W.Va. man charged in two robberies
BROWNSVILLE – A West Virginia man who said he just got out of jail 30 days ago was arraigned Monday before District Justice Herb Mitchell for two armed robberies in Fayette County in the past week. State trooper James Pierce said Stephen Ira Hollabaugh, who turned 44 Monday, of Fairmont, W.Va., was arrested Monday at a home in Cardale. Hollabaugh appeared at the arraignment in blue jeans, a light blue T-shirt with gray printing and a pair of white socks with no shoes.
He was ordered held for court for allegedly robbing the Parkvale Bank on Route 40 in Redstone Township on May 12 at 4 p.m. and for allegedly robbing the Kwik Fill convenience store on Route 40 in Menallen Township on May 14 at 1:10 a.m.
Mitchell set bond in the bank robbery at $500,000 cash and at $150,000 cash for the Kwik Fill robbery. Hollabaugh is being held at the Fayette County Prison.
Hollobaugh told Mitchell that he wanted to be considered for treatment for drug or alcohol addiction and admitted to using drugs or alcohol within the past 24 hours, though he said he wasn’t under the influence at the time of the hearing.
Hollobaugh told Mitchell that he had no ties to anyone in Pennsylvania or Fayette County and that he had lived his entire life in West Virginia. He said that he has been living with a friend in Fairmont since he was released from prison last month after serving a six-year sentence for robbery. Hollabaugh said he was not on parole or probation.
“I’ve been out of prison about a month. I discharged my sentence in West Virginia,” Hollabaough told the district justice.
Following the hearing, Hollabaugh told officers that he had been drug-free for the six years he was in prison, but smoked crack cocaine once after being released and was immediately hooked again.
When asked by Mitchell if he was employed, Hollabaugh said no. When asked the date when he was last employed, Hollabaugh checked the calendar on his watch before replying “May 12.”
That is the date that his employer, Precision Machine Hydraulic and Chrome Plating of Worthington, W.Va., reported the company truck operated by Hollabaugh as stolen after he failed to report for work that morning.
Parkvale employees identified the truck as the getaway vehicle. The vehicle was found several hours later near the Hunters Ridge apartment complex, about a mile from the bank.
Hollabaugh faces charges of robbery, theft by unlawful taking, simple assault, firearms not to be carried without a license and receiving stolen property in the Parkvale incident. He entered the bank and showed the teller a gun in his waistband, demanding money. He left with $1,557. A female accomplice is still being sought in connection with that incident.
He is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, simple assault and terroristic threats for the Kwik Fill robbery. In that incident Hollabaugh allegedly threatened the store clerk with a knife and demanded money. He also demanded money from a customer in the store, but left without it after the woman told him it was all the money she had. He took $115 from the cash register.
Hollabaugh is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at 2 p.m. before District Justice Rick Vernon on the Kwik Fill charges and on Tuesday, May 25 at 1:30 before District Justice Mike Defino on the Parkvale charges.
Luzerne Township Police Chief Roy Mehalik said Hollabaugh is also a suspect in the weekend robbery of Penncraft Store. He is also a suspect in at least one other area robbery.