Two accused in store robbery

Bond was set at $31,000 each for two men accused of robbing a BP gas station in Springfield early Friday morning.

Christoper Burkhart, 23, and Michael Wallace, 18, were apprehended by Springfield police after officers responded to a hold-up alarm at the BP at 2598 E. Main St.

Burkhart and Wallace both pleaded not guilty to felony counts of aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence as well as a misdemeanor count of obstructing official business. Both have been appointed public defenders and remain in the Clark County Jail.

According to the store clerk, two men entered the store just before 3:20 a.m. wearing bandannas over their faces. One displayed what looked like a black handgun and demanded cash, while the other went to a backroom and removed the DVR for the surveillance system, the police report stated.

Police tracked the suspects to an alley in the 2300 block of Hillside Avenue. Officers pursued the men on foot, police said, reportedly tackling Burkhart on the other side of the fence. After allegedly refusing to follow commands, an officer deployed his Taser on Wallace and he was also taken into custody, according to the police report.

Officers questioned the two and were able to locate the stolen cash and the weapon, later identified as a BB gun, near a backyard of a home on Bellevue Avenue. The DVR system was found next to the Fairfax Inn on East Main Street, police said.

Police said the two don’t match the description of the suspect in a Thursday morning armed robbery of the Speedway station on North Limestone Street. They also don’t match the description of the suspect in a series of Springfield drive-through robberies, according to reports.

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