Hearing conducted for suspect in robberies
All charges against a Ronco man accused of committing two armed robberies in Masontown last fall were held for court Thursday. Gary Lynn Fisher Jr., 20, was charged earlier this year before Magisterial District Judge Randy S. Abraham for his alleged attempted robbery of the Subway restaurant on Sept. 21. He was charged with one count of armed robbery, four counts of criminal attempt to commit robbery, six counts of reckless endangerment of another, five counts of making terroristic threats and one count each of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license.
He also was charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count each of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, reckless endangerment of another and carrying a firearm without a license for his alleged role in a holdup at the Marathon gas station on Sept. 24.
During two preliminary hearings Thursday, witnesses described the events that occurred in September and identified Fisher as the suspect in both robberies.
Masontown police allege Fisher attempted to rob the Subway at the intersection of Route 21 and Redwood Street.
Nathan Kohlmeyer of Markleysburg testified Thursday that he and his fianc?e, along with another couple and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, were eating at the restaurant shortly before 11 p.m. when Fisher entered the business.
Kohlmeyer testified that Fisher had his face partially covered with his shirt and was carrying a handgun.
He testified that Fisher went to the counter to find the cashier and when he could not, he approached the table where the group was eating and demanded the women’s purses.
“We had a little girl with us and I didn’t want anybody to get shot, so I didn’t do anything,” Kohlmeyer testified.
He told the court that the group put the child under the table as Kohlmeyer’s friend, Matthew Shushok of McClellandtown, took about $150 cash from his wallet and handed it over to Fisher.
Kohlmeyer testified that Shushok simply wanted to ensure everyone’s safety and get Fisher to leave the restaurant, which he then did.
In the second hearing, Timothy Hunyady testified that Fisher robbed him at gunpoint just three days after the Subway robbery while Hunyady was working at the Marathon service station on North Main Street.
Hunyady testified that he was sitting outside the station around 10 p.m. when Fisher allegedly came around the building and pointed a gun at him.
Hunyady said Fisher stole more than $400 from him before fleeing the scene on foot.
Following the hearings, Abraham bound all charges against Fisher for Fayette County Court.
Abraham then remanded Fisher to the Fayette County Prison.
State police took Fisher into custody Nov. 1 after officers were dispatched to the Buffington area of Menallen Township to serve multiple felony warrants in an unrelated matter.
While conducting the warrant service, police responded to a reported burglary in Georges Township. During their investigation of the break-in, police said officers responded to the Karlyn Motel on Route 119 in Georges Township after reports that a man matching the description of the suspect from the break-in was at the motel.
When troopers arrived at the motel, Plume said Fisher and another man ran from the building and into a wooded area. Police pursued them on foot and captured Fisher a short distance from the motel.
In December, Fisher was charged before Abraham with conspiracy to commit burglary, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest following the Nov. 1 burglary in Georges Township. The status of those charges was not known Thursday.
According to Fayette County Court records, Fisher also is scheduled to be sentenced in May after he pleaded guilty in January to charges of possession with intent to deliver drugs and possession of drugs. Those charges stem from an incident that occurred in March in Georges Township.
Prior to the hearings Thursday, Fisher waived multiple counts of accidents involving death or personal injury, failure to render aid, careless driving, reckless driving and six other traffic violations following a crash in Nicholson Township in October.
Fisher remains in the Fayette County Prison on a combined bail of $225,000 straight cash bond.