Marines nabbed in armed robbery

Chris Dabovich

San Pedro Valley News-Sun

Two Marines based in California are in custody following an alleged armed robbery Wednesday of a Benson convenience store.

Daniel Schaub and Christopher Adams, both 20, of Camp Pendleton, Calif., were arrested shortly after 1:30 p.m. west of the city, according to a Benson Police Department news release.

The pair is charged with one count each of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping, which correspond to the number of employees and or customers in the store at the time of the incident, said Benson Police Cmdr. Paul Moncada. A $100,000 bond has been set on each defendant, authorities said.

Schaub and Adams made an initial appearance in Benson Justice Court Thursday morning before Judge Joe Knoblock. They were later transported to Cochise County Jail in Bisbee.

Police received report of the robbery at the Circle K at 202 E. 4th St. at 1:07 p.m., said Moncada. An undisclosed amount of money was recovered when Adams and Schaub were taken at gunpoint by Benson police from a late-model black Mitsubishi Eclipse, he said.

The arrest occurred without incident on Whetstone Commerce Drive near Gas City off State Route 90.

Witnesses at Circle K reported seeing two men get into a vehicle that headed east on 4th Street - Benson's main street -toward Interstate 10, the news release states.

Moncada said both men entered the store and that "a weapon" was brandished but declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. The store is equipped with video surveillance, he said, again declining to offer details.

He did praise witness accounts that helped lead to the timely arrest.

"We'd like to commend the witnesses; they were able to give us a really good description of the vehicle we were looking for," said Moncada. A worker making a delivery provided authorities with a detailed description of the getaway vehicle, said Moncada. The car had a shattered windshield, front-end damage and a factory provided spare tire in use on the front driver's side.

A USMC public affairs spokesman at Camp Pendleton on Thursday said the Marines are lance corporals and are in their first term of a four-year enlistment. He could not say when each enlisted. Neither had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, he said.

Both were on leave and scheduled to return to the camp Wednesday. They are not considered absent without leave, he said, noting the Marine Corps would let the civilian court process take its course.

Arizona Dept. of Public Safety and Cochise County Sheriff's Office assisted.

Ellie