A 33-year-old Tyrone man, Benjamin Burton Brower, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Fred Miller yesterday on charges in the Saturday night robbery of the Choice store on W. 10th Street.
Brower who was charged by Tyrone Police in that incident is also facing charges in Sunday’s robbery at the Bellwood Sheetz and is a suspect in the attempted robbery of the Warriors Mark Uni-Mart later the same day.
Judge Miller said bail was set at $100,000 on the Choice store robbery charge. Brower also faces a motor vehicle theft charge related to his alleged weekend robbery spree. Bail on that charge was set at $25,000 straight. Miller said charges for fleeing and eluding authorities would be issued by summons.
Judge Miller said Brower was also before him on an unrelated DUI charge and he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Bail in that case was $7,500 straight. Miller said Brower was remanded to Blair County Prison where he had already been lodged since being taken into custody by Hollidaysburg State Police when he was found hiding in a relative’s vehicle in Tyrone Sunday morning.
State police filed charges against Brower stemming from the Sheetz robbery and he was placed in jail on $100,000 bail after being arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Craig Ormsby.
Judge Miller said Brower was represented by a public defender yesterday. Brower is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 1 on charges in both robberies and the vehicle theft.
Huntingdon County-based state police named Brower as a suspect in the Uni-Mart attempted robbery in a press release issued Sunday. A check with the magisterial district judge’s office that usually handles Warriors Mark incidents indicated they had no information as of this morning regarding any charges against Brower in that case.
