Two arrested for gunpoint robbery at 7-11
Amanda Petherbridge, 34, and Christopher Yelverton, 42, both with no fixed address, have been arrested for the July 20 gunpoint robbery at the 7-11, located at 2511 Lincoln Highway in Trevose.
At 2:50 a.m., Bensalem Police responded to the convenience store for the report of a gunpoint robbery. Upon arrival, the store clerk stated that a black male dressed in black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and a face mask entered and requested a carton of Newport cigarettes. When the clerk returned to the register, the man had his hand inside of his sweatshirt and appeared to be pointing something at the clerk.
The man stated that he had a gun and ordered the clerk to remove all of the cash from the register. The clerk gave him the cash and the carton of cigarettes. The man then casually walked out of the front door and went out of sight in the rear of the building. A K-9 search was conducted, but the man was not located.
Officers then viewed surveillance footage from the 7-11 and determined that the man got into a vehicle waiting in the rear of the building and fled the area. Officers began to leverage technology by utilizing cameras and license plate readers. They identified a silver-blue Chevrolet Malibu that fled south on Route 1 into Philadelphia from the area of the 7-11. The registration of the suspect vehicle was broadcast to Bensalem officers and surrounding police agencies.
At 4:50 a.m., Bensalem officers observed a Chevrolet Malbu with the same registration plate traveling south on Lincoln Highway near the Wawa. Officers conducted a traffic stop for vehicle code violations. The female driver was identified as Petherbridge, and the passenger as Yelverton, who generally matched the description of the robbery suspect, but was not wearing the same clothing as depicted in the 7-11 surveillance footage.
Petherbridge or Yelverton did not own the vehicle or have a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance. Before towing the vehicle, officers observed black sweatpants, gloves and a black hooded sweatshirt in the vehicle’s back seat. They also saw a large amount of cash and a black handgun. Both subjects were detained, and the vehicle was towed to the Bensalem Township Police Department, where a search warrant was executed.
Police recovered an unopened carton of Newport cigarettes, black gloves and clothing, $300 cash, four black face masks, narcotics and a black Canik TP9 semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine loaded with 29 rounds of 9mm ammunition. An investigation revealed that neither Petherbridge nor Yelverton had a firearm permit, and both were precluded by law from possessing a firearm.
Bensalem detectives interviewed both subjects, who admitted to the 7-11 robbery and also admitted to two other gunpoint robberies outside of Bensalem Township. Petherbridge and Yelverton were charged with Robbery, Criminal Conspiracy, Persons Not to Possess Firearms, Terrorist Threats and related charges. They were arraigned by District Justice Maggie Snow and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $100,000 bail.
Kohl’s retail theft
Bensalem Police are investigating a retail theft at the Kohl’s, located at 2325 Street Road, on July 17. It was reported at approximately 5:30 p.m. that two unknown black males entered the store and selected women’s apparel and numerous items from Sephora. Both men stole over $2,500 worth of merchandise and fled the area on foot.
If you have any information about their identities, submit an anonymous tip online at bucks.crimewatchpa.com/bensalempd/ or call Bensalem Police at 215-633-3719.
