Man charged with robbing 3 local gas stations in 30 minutes
A Verona man is behind bars for allegedly robbing three Fayette County gas stations in less than 30 minutes Thursday night.
Michael Allen Priester, 34, of Arnold Drive was charged with three counts of robbery and simple assault and one count each of theft and receiving stolen property. He was arrested following a traffic stop by Uniontown City Police Officer Jennifer Field on National Pike just after midnight Friday.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in his case, state police received a call at about 11 p.m. reporting a man claimed to have a gun and demanded money at Sweet Pea’s at 128 North Morgantown St. in Fairchance. They received another call about one minute later reporting a man matching the same description robbed Marathon gas station at 732 Morgantown Road in South Union Township. About 20 minutes later, an employee at JG’s gas station in Georges Township at 2013 Morgantown Road told state police a man with the same description tried to rob that store.
One of the three people in the vehicle with Priester told state police Priester told her he had just committed a robbery.
Priester was arraigned early Friday by on-call Magisterial District Judge Nathan A. Henning, who set bail at $35,000. He remains in Fayette County Prison in lieu of bail.