On Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 2:50 AM, Bensalem Police responded to the 7-11 convenience store located at 2511 Lincoln Highway in Trevose 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 male had his hand inside his sweatshirt and appeared to be pointing something at the clerk. The male 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 male 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 male was not located.
Officers then viewed surveillance footage from the 7-11 and determined that the male 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 AM, Bensalem officers observed a Chevrolet Malibu 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 Amanda Petherbridge, 34, with no fixed abode. The passenger was Christopher Yelverton, 42, with no fixed abode. Yelverton generally matched the description of the robbery suspect but he 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 9 mm 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, terroristic threats, and related charges. They were arraigned by District Justice Maggie Snow and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $100,000 bail.
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