Suspect receives further charges
A 19-year-old Keisterville man, already in the Fayette County Prison on attempted homicide charges, was charged Tuesday with five counts each of robbery, theft, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection with five robberies in Fayette County. Junior Guthrie of 808 Second St. was charged before Magisterial District Judge Joseph George Jr. in the five robberies in which police said he brandished a sawed-off shotgun. The holdups occurred over five months.
The latest charges against Guthrie follow charges for criminal attempt to commit homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery and recklessly endangering another person are in connection with a holdup at the Pizza Hut on Morgantown Street in South Union Township on June 22, police said.
In that case, police said Mario Vincent Zitz, 18, also of Keisterville, was charged with criminal conspiracy to commit robbery after he drove the getaway vehicle for Guthrie.
Trooper James Pierce said an anonymous tip led police to Guthrie and Zitz. Police said Guthrie and Zitz were taken into custody after being stopped on Route 51 in North Union Township.
The latest charges stem from three robberies at the Kwik Fill service station in Menallen Township and two at the Dairy Mart in Hopwood.
Pierce said the first robbery occurred on Feb. 14 when Guthrie entered the Kwik Fill on Route 40 in Menallen Township and pointed a shotgun at the cashier while another man stole money from the cash register.
According to Pierce, Guthrie struck again on May 11 at the Kwik Fill, brandishing a shotgun and stealing from the cash register. Guthrie robbed the service station a third time, pointing a shotgun at the cashier and stealing cash from the store’s safe, Pierce said.
Guthrie then struck the Hopwood Dairy Mart on May 31 and used a shotgun to hold store employees at bay while he raided the convenience store’s safe, police said.
Police said the fifth robbery occurred on June 13 when Guthrie again entered the Dairy Mart armed with a shotgun and made off with cash from the store’s safe, police said.
In the Pizza Hut robbery, police said Guthrie, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, entered the Pizza Hut on Morgantown Street around 10:50 p.m. June 22.
He allegedly approached a restaurant employee, who was standing at the counter, and, according to police, yelled several times, “Where is the safe?”
The employee told Guthrie that the restaurant did not have a safe, at which time Guthrie allegedly fired a round into the menu display directly above the worker.
As Guthrie placed another shotgun shell into the chamber, the employee ran toward the rear of the restaurant and made it out an exit door just as Guthrie allegedly fired a second shot toward the worker, Pierce said. Guthrie fled the scene following the incident, police said.
Guthrie is being held in the Fayette County Prison on a total bond of $130,000 for all six incidents.
A preliminary hearing for the attempted homicide at Pizza Hut is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 16 before George.