CLEARFIELD – An 18-year-old Clearfield woman who was allegedly involved in the robbery at the Subway shop in Clearfield waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Tiffany M. Sylvester, 18, of Clearfield, faces charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery. She was originally charged with two counts each of obstructing administration of law government function and false reports to law enforcement, but one count of each has since been dropped.
Sylvester’s bail was set at $10,000 unsecured. She had been placed in the Clearfield County Jail in lieu of the same amount.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the Clearfield Borough Police Department responded to a burglary that occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 6. The caller told police a tall, white male in his 20s or 30s entered the store, wearing a blue bandana over his face. He was also wearing a white hoody, with dark blue, baggy pants at the time of the alleged incident.
Sylvester, who was the worker, making the call, was advised by officers to lock the store until a search of the area had been completed. Police spoke with men outside nearby apartments. The men told police they had not noticed anyone come through the area. Police also spoke with a resident who lived near the shop. The resident said he hadn’t seen anyone leaving prior to police arrival. The officers, then, returned to the Subway shop.
In her initial report to police, Sylvester said she was in the back room for a cigarette break, when the man came into the store. She said she hadn’t locked the door even though the store closed three hours earlier at 10 p.m.
Sylvester told police she had heard the door buzzer but “didn’t think anything of it,” as friends and other employees often came in after close. She also said she had heard the small door open that leads to the back counter and register.
Sylvester told police she left the back room to see who had entered the store. She said she saw the man who demanded, “Give me the money.”
Sylvester told police she gave the man money from a cash box, as well as the register and “drops,” or envelopes of cash that was kept under the drawer inside the register. She said the man had her remove the cash from the envelopes.
During an interview with police, Sylvester said the man didn’t touch anything but made her touch everything instead. She said the man had her place the money in a white, plastic bag. She also told police the man neither displayed a weapon, nor did he threaten her with one over the course of the alleged incident.
Police inquired about why Sylvester was still at the store in the early morning hours. She said the store had been busy, and she wanted to take her time cleaning up. However, while on scene, police determined “little or no” cleaning had been done.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police became suspicious, while Sylvester hadn’t done any cleaning after the store’s close. Additional suspicion was raised when the key, which is used to open the register, was placed upside down. Managers determined the register was “inopenable,” with the key in that position. Police also found difficulty believing the man had her remove the cash from envelopes, as it would only increase his time in the store rather than “grab and run.”
Police spoke with Sylvester later on the same day, because she told police she had more information on the alleged incident. She told police that a current employee and Former Employee, Keshia DuFour were both at the shop for a sandwich not too long after it had closed. Sylvester also told police the two were not alone, and three males were with them. She said the three males left after they had finished eating.
After the males left, Sylvester told police both the employee and DuFour went into the backroom for a cigarette. Sylvester said she went to the back room and was told to leave. She said she heard some of conversation between the two, while she was cleaning the store.
Sylvester told police she heard DuFour ask, “Do you know how much drugs we can get out of this?” She said she also heard the employee say something to the effect that “we can hide it at my place in the basement.”
Sylvester, then, told police both came from the back room. She said while leaving, the employee asked her if she had any money. After asking why, Sylvester said the woman referenced buying Oxy 40s.
Police met with Sylvester a third time, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Sylvester expressed concern about being arrested for the alleged incident during that meeting.
“I’d never do that,” she told police while expressing her innocence.
Police, then, explained to Sylvester the suspicions they had with her report. They also told her a business, which was located near Subway, had surveillance coverage and that it would be obtained. Then, Sylvester told police she wanted to “tell the truth this time.”
Sylvester told police DuFour and the current employee were in the back room. She said she asked the two if they were going to rob her. Sylvester said she was told that they’d wait until after she left in order to make it appear like another burglary.
During her interview with police, Sylvester said she told them that she didn’t like the idea. She said she feared getting blamed, as the worker who was scheduled for the last shift. Sylvester said they had decided to fabricate an incident that would make it look as though she had been robbed.
Sylvester told police that before DuFour and the Subway employee left the store with the money, they had rehearsed the story, including her conversation with police, several times. Sylvester said she was told not to contact police until they had contacted her to do so. Sylvester said the employee sent her a text message, when she arrived home, to call police.
On Sept. 7, police interviewed that employee about the alleged incident. She denied any connection with the incident at question. The employee said she and DuFour didn’t go into the back room at the store. She said she only knew that Sylvester had been robbed, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Police interviewed the three males who were in the shop prior to its closing. The three told police they were eating, when DuFour and the Subway employee arrived. They said the three women went to the back of the shop and weren’t in sight. The three males said they were gone for a while and only checked with them on one occasion. The men said the three weren’t around when they left.
Police received a call from the store’s manager the following day. She told police that one of the women had confessed. Police, then, met with DuFour, who admitted she had gone to Subway for something to eat with the other Subway employee on the night of the alleged incident, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
DuFour told police Sylvester had mentioned robbing the store, while she was there with the other employee. She said Sylvester spoke about wrapping the money for DuFour to pick up. At that time, DuFour said she laughed and believed Sylvester was only joking.
After leaving the store, DuFour said she was contacted by Sylvester, who told her she had placed the money outside for her to pick up. DuFour said she thought of it all as a joke but soon realized it wasn’t upon speaking with Sylvester.
DuFour told police she walked to Subway and picked up the money that was in plastic wrap. DuFour said she proceeded to an area, where she threw the money from the alleged incident into the river, on River Road.
Police, however, were unable to locate the money.
|
