A Pottsville man being held without bail following an armed robbery in Shenandoah now faces additional charges for allegedly robbing a Speedway gas station two days earlier.
Joshua Jakson Mercado, 20, faces first-degree felony counts of robbery and burglary, along with charges of theft by unlawful taking, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person.
The charges were filed Friday, Sept. 4, by Trooper Brandon Olewine of the Pennsylvania State Police at Frackville.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, troopers were dispatched around 8:08 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, for an armed robbery that had occurred minutes earlier at the Speedway at 520 South Lehigh Avenue.
Surveillance video allegedly showed a masked man with a thin build enter the store around 8:01 a.m. wearing a gray zip-up sweatshirt with three white stripes across the chest, a second gray sweatshirt, a black backpack, black shoes and a black baseball cap.
Police said the man walked to the counter, placed the backpack down and pulled out what appeared to be a black rifle-style firearm.
The suspect allegedly pointed the weapon toward the cashier and demanded money from the register. Police said he took approximately $395 before leaving the store around 8:03 a.m. and fleeing south toward Vo-Tech Road.
Investigators later identified a white sedan with a black roof as the suspected getaway vehicle.
Two days later, troopers were notified of another armed robbery at the Friendly Food Mart at 416 South Main Street in Shenandoah. Police identified the vehicle involved in that robbery as a white 2015 Kia Optima with a black roof.
Troopers spotted the Kia traveling south on Route 924 in East Union Township around 2:38 p.m. that day and conducted a felony traffic stop. Mercado was identified as the passenger, while Leonardo Omar Pagan-Ortiz was identified as the driver. The affidavit states that the two men were charged separately.
A search warrant was executed on the vehicle Aug. 26. Investigators reported finding a black rifle-style airsoft gun, a gray zip-up sweatshirt with three white stripes and a black full-face mask inside a black backpack.
Police interviewed Mercado at the Schuylkill County Jail on Aug. 31. After being advised of his rights, Mercado allegedly told investigators that the gun was fake and admitted committing both the Speedway robbery and the Friendly Food Mart robbery, according to the affidavit.
Mercado also allegedly admitted that the same vehicle was used during both incidents.
The new charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and relate to the Speedway robbery.
Mercado remains in the Schuylkill County Jail after being denied bail in the separate Shenandoah robbery case.