OCEAN CITY — A downtown package goods store employee suffered a rough couple of days this week with an armed robbery and a theft involving a fight in the span of two days.
Around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City Police responded to a reported armed robbery at the 9th Street Market. Officers arrived and located the victim, the store’s clerk, standing outside the store. The victim told police he was behind the counter at the cash register when an African-American male around 6’ tall and about 30 years old wearing khaki shorts entered the store.
The victim told police the suspect, later identified as Aubrey Stone, 33, of New Castle, Del., entered the store. According to the victim, Stone produced a silver box cutter-style knife, came behind the counter and said to the victim “I’m not going to hurt you,” and “give me all of the money.”
The victim opened the cash register and the suspect took all of the money totaling around $341 along with a pack of Newport cigarettes. A description of the suspect was broadcast via police radio and Stone was located a short time later on the Boardwalk just north of the pier. The victim was brought over and positively identified Stone as the armed robber. About $350 in cash and an unopened pack of Newport cigarettes were found on Stone’s person.
During a later interview, Stone admitted to committing the robbery. Stone was charged with armed robbery, first-degree assault and other charges. As of mid-week, he was being held on a $150,000 bond. The Monday morning robbery was the second serious incident endured by the same clerk at the same store in as many days.
Around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, an OCPD officer was on marked patrol in the area of 9th Street when he observed two men, one of whom was the store clerk, fighting in the middle of the street. The officer later identified the combatants as the store clerk and Karl Treichel, 18, of North Potomac, Md. A large group of people had gathered on the sidewalk to watch the fight and several others were running down the alley toward to get a better vantage point for the fight, some of whom were recording the incident on their cell phones.
As the officer approached, he observed the store clerk punch Treichel in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. The officer also observed the clerk punch Treichel in the face several more times as he was lying on his back in the roadway, according to police. The officer ran toward the store clerk, pinning him on his back. The clerk immediately began yelling he was an employee of the nearby package goods store and that Treichel had attempted to steal a 30-pack of Bud Light and had assaulted him.
Meanwhile, the officer attempted to subdue Treichel, who continued to resist arrest and struggled to get to his feet, according to police reports. Treichel was finally subdued and handcuffed after a struggle with OCPD officers. OCPD officers interviewed the store clerk who told police Treichel entered the store, grabbed a 30-pack of beer and walked out.
The store employee confronted Treichel, recovered the beer and grabbed the suspect in an attempt to bring him back to the store and call police. The store clerk said that was when Treichel punched him in the back of the head, causing him to become dizzy. The fight in the street then ensued, which is around the time OCPD officers first arrived.
When interviewed following his arrest, Treichel allegedly told police, “I did something stupid,” and “I thought I could be cool,” according to police reports. “I thought I could walk in and walk out, but it didn’t work out that way.”
Treichel was charged with second-degree assault, theft, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
