A homeless couple who already waived their rights to a preliminary hearing connected to a Bensalem armed robbery at a 7-Eleven in July and now are accused of three more armed robberies in Lower Bucks County.
Lower Southampton Township Police, Bristol Township Police, and Penndel Borough Police based suspect interviews coupled with good old fashioned detective work, employing modern traffic technology through the use of license plate readers (LPR’s) and cooperation among the four jurisdictions have filed arrest warrants and charged Christopher Yelverton, 42, with no fixed abode and his co-conspirator Amanda Petherbridge, 34, with three more stickups.
The duo waived their rights to have a preliminary hearing held on August 28 in front of District Judge Joseph Falcone connected to their Bensalem robbery arrest on the morning of July 20.
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- Credit: Penndel Police
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- Credit: Penndel Police
The key that unlocked the door to solving the robberies in each of the four jurisdictions was put into play by Bensalem officers who viewed surveillance footage from the 7-11 and determined that Yelverton got into a silver-blue Chevrolet Malibu and fled the area. Officers began to leverage technology by utilizing cameras and license plate readers (LPR’s) identifying the Chevy that fled south on Route 1 into Philadelphia from the 7-11. The registration of the suspected vehicle was broadcast to Bensalem officers and surrounding police agencies.
At 4:50 a.m., Bensalem officers observed the Chevy traveling south on Lincoln Highway near the Wawa. Officers conducted a traffic stop for vehicle code violations. Shortly thereafter, Petherbridge and Yelverton were taken into custody after admitting neither owned the Chevy. They did not have a registration or proof of insurance for the vehicle and neither suspect had a valid driver license.
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, court records said.
During subsequent interviews with investigators, Petherbridge and Yelverton admitted to three additional robberies.
1. April 25 – 527 W. Lincoln Highway – Penndel Borough Police dispatched for hold up alarm. Store clerk reported a black male with beard, gloves, sunglasses, grey shirt entered store, brandished handgun forced the victim/employee to provide about $1,200.00 in U.S. Currency from the register and stole a pack of Newport cigarettes.
2. May 2 – 1952 Brownsville Road, Lower Southampton – 2:50 a.m. – Yelverton ordered store clerk to open up register, handed the victim a note demanding U.S. currency, brandished a handgun, stole cartons of Newport cigarettes and about $2,000.00 in cash plus $500.00 from the victim’s pockets.
3. July 18 – 293 Bristol Pike, Croydon – 3:30 a.m. – Black male wearing all black including face mask hands note to clerk “Give me All the Money or I’ll Shoot You Now.” The robber left the store with $450.00 in cash, and six or seven packs of Newport Cigarettes, police say.
Paid for by Friends of Tina Davis
Yelverton, has a lengthy felony conviction history dating back to 2001. His Bristol Twp arrest warrant filed in August was activated last week as he was arraigned for the Croydon armed robbery. As of publication time he has yet to be preliminarily arraigned in the Penndel Borough case.
This was Petherbridge’s first arrest or ticket in Bucks County, according to online court records. She will spend her 35th birthday (October 4) behind the walls of Bucks County Prison as each of the four robbery cases go through court system.
She has yet to be charged in the Penndel and Bristol Twp Cases.
They both remain at the county correctional facility on separate bails for each of the cases filed against them.
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