CLEARFIELD – A hearing was held for a Philipsburg man accused of robbing the Chester Hill Kwik Fill.
Christopher E. Gerald faces four counts of robbery, terroristic threats, simple assault, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and harassment.
The first to testifiy was a clerk. The clerk testified that he was working the evening of Jan. 25. He said that around 9:30 p.m., a tall man wearing a black/dark coat with a hoodie up and a red bandana covering the lower part of his face entered the store. He said the man came around the counter and pointed what he believed to be a gun at his side; he said the item was covered with white towel or cloth.
The clerk testified that the man told him to give him the money in the register or he would shoot him. The clerk said after the man got the money from the register, he then demanded any money that might also be on the clerk. The clerk said he provided him with his money and the masked man told him not to call anyone for 15 minutes or he would shoot him.
The clerk said when the man left, he hit the panic button and called 911.
The clerk identified Gerald during the hearing as the man who assailed him. He indicated that while Gerald’s face was mostly covered, he recognized him due to seeing him elsewhere. He also testified that the assailant had dark or dark blond hair; Gerald’s hair is brown. He testified the blond color may have been from the florescent lights at the gas station.
Ryan Mostyn testified that on the night in question, he and his girlfried were returning home from State College. He said as he approached his parents’ house, where he lives, he saw a silver Nissan Maxima or Altima with a dent on the passenger side parked in the driveway. He said no one was home at the time. He said the stopped and he saw someone in the vehicle. He said the vehicle started up, backed out, and he saw someone with their face covered in something red. He said he followed the vehicle to state Route 53 until it turned in the direction of Kwik Fill and sped off.
He said he and his girlfriend figured his parents’ home was burglarized, or soon would be. He said they went back toward the house and noticed the vehicle parked at a storage facility near the Kwik Fill. He said he went back to Philipsburg to talk to his parents to see what he should do next. He indicated that when he returned, the police were at Kwik Fill.
Officer James Ward of the Decatur Township Police Department testified that he was on duty when the call came out for the robbery. Ward said he responded and first went down Scott Lane to see if he could observe anything. He said he also called the state police for backup. He said when he arrived at the Kwik Fill, the state police were already there.
Ward said when he arrived, Mostyn and his girlfriend approached him and relayed their information. He said he also talked with the clerk and got his information. He stated that based on the information gathered, he put out a BOLO for a silver Nissan Maxima or Altima with a dent on the passenger’s side that may have also been missing a hubcap.
He said the vehicle was eventually located and that it belongs to Gerald.
After closing arguments a brief argument over bail modification, Magisterial District Judge Jerome K. Nevling bound all charges to the Court of Common Pleas and left bail at $50,000 straight.
