Somerset —

It’s not that unusual for Belinda Hinton to get a phone call from her security company in the wee hours of the morning when an alarm is triggered at her store, Super 1 Stop Food Mart and Deli, at the intersection of Jarvis and Bourne avenues. Inevitably it’s a false alarm, perhaps an animal or the wind triggering a sensor. But not yesterday morning. At 12:43 a.m. Tuesday, a couple hours after the busy BP station had closed, a motion detector was triggered inside the store. “I got over to the store in a few minutes and Somerset Police were already there. There was a broken window at the side of the building and police were uncertain whether anyone was still inside. After they searched the building and determined the suspects were gone, I was able to go in and found that the burglars had taken an undetermined amount of money,” Hinton told the Commonwealth Journal. At least last night’s crime was perpetrated when the store was closed. Several years ago Super 1 Stop was the site of an armed robbery. In that case the bandits were quickly apprehended by Somerset Police officers. “I have a lot of faith in our police department,” Hinton said during an interview yesterday. “From tire tracks outside the store it looks like the burglars left in a hurry, probably just a matter of seconds before the police arrived.” The burglars, along with their escape vehicle, were caught on security cameras, giving investigators a lead in the case. Yesterday, Somerset Police arrested two Pulaski men in connection with the incident. Lt. Detective Shannon Smith said Samuel Joseph, 19, of Somerset, and Christopher Ashley, 28, of Nancy, managed to break out the store window and enter the store without setting off the alarm. They left for about 15 minutes — presumably to watch to see whether police would arrive, Smith said — and then returned to take items from the store. Police arrived and attempted to find the suspects with the help of a search dog, but no one could be immediately located. Surveillance footage led officers to begin searching for a dark colored pickup truck and two males who had been wearing purple stockings over their faces at the time of the burglary. The surveillance video, along with “some leads and an anonymous tip,” Smith said, helped police identify the suspects. The investigation led to a search warrant being executed at a residence on Sycamore Street where Joseph and Ashley had been staying. Several pieces of evidence, including the clothing worn during the burglary and Joseph’s pickup truck, were located there. After a day of interviews, Smith said, Joseph and Ashley were arrested and lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center yesterday. Each was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary and theft by unlawful taking over $500. Smith said additional charges are possible. Ashley was also charged on an active Pulaski Circuit Court indictment on drug possession charges and with being a persistent felony offender, Smith said. An investigation is continuing by the SPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. Smith said this most recent burglary is just one of several burglaries which have occurred at businesses throughout the city in recent months. Joseph and Ashley are “not necessarily suspects” in those incidents, he said. “We welcome any tips which might lead to the identification of persons responsible for any of the other burglaries which have occurred throughout the city,” he said. Anyone with information about any of the other incidents can call (606) 678-5176.