Police in Minersville have made three arrests and another man is wanted in connection with an armed robbery at the Minersville General Store earlier this week.
The arrests were made following an investigation of the robbery which allegedly occurred before 10 p.m. at the convenience store located at North and N. 2nd streets in the borough.
Police have in custody the following:
- Za’ir Alvarez, 17, of Pottsville
- Adan Twigg, 20, of Pottsville
- Edward Martinez, 18, of Pottsville
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Shynir Jeffcoat, 22, of Port Carbon.
Alvarez is being charged as an adult in this alleged crime.
Minersville General Store Robbery Investigation Details
According to a police affidavit, Minersville PD was dispatched to the Minersville General Store at about 11 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12. On the scene, they saw the store clerk visibly shaken up and signs that the store had been robbed.
The clerk told police that three men entered the store. Two of them brandished handguns during the robbery, the clerk said.
Police say video surveillance footage shows the clerk with his hands in the air as the three men rummage through the General Store stealing merchandise.
The owner of Minersville General Store told police that about $9,000 in cash was taken during the robbery along with tobacco and vape products and other merchandise.
When they were finished sticking up the store, the three men fled on foot on N. 2nd St. and then onto Carbon St.
Police searched a two-block radius on those streets shortly after being dispatched to the store. Patrolman Eric Wilson reportedly saw three men who fled on foot. Wilson gave chase on foot but eventually lost them.
Wilson then began canvassing the area for video surveillance footage. He obtained video showing three black men who apparently matched the same physical description of the suspects in the video obtained from the General Store.
Wilson determined that the three men had shed their hoodies and changed clothes. However, one of the men in the video was still carrying an orange drawstring backpack and that was also seen in the surveillance footage obtained from the convenience store.
Early Tuesday morning, Minersville PD published a Facebook post asking for the public’s help in their ongoing investigation. According to police, three confidential informants came forward with valuable evidence needed to identify the suspects.
Based on that information, police began observing an address on Carbon St. and a black Lincoln Navigator. The Navigator was determined to have a suspended registration and police had it towed from that location.
Later, Patrolman Joe Kavanaugh saw two black men exit a home on Carbon St. and get into a black sedan, which had a female driver. A traffic stop of that vehicle resulted in one of the men inside running from the scene.
A Patrolman from Port Carbon Police Dept., who was assisting in the investigation, gave chase on foot and deployed his Taser to incapacitate the fleeing suspect, later known to be Alvarez. Police say that man had a bag of weed and an orange Nike shoebox on him at the time. The shoebox reportedly contained $880 in cash. He also had a bright orange sweatshirt and a pack of Swisher Sweets BLK cigarillos.
The other man in the vehicle that was stopped didn’t run. Police say he was taken into custody without incident. He had a tan sweatshirt and a Backwoods brand backpack. That backpack allegedly contained a wallet with the ID of Edward Martinez and $283 in cash. There was also a pack of Bob Marley wrapping papers, an OxBar lanyard, two cell phones, and a Geek Bar Frozen Cherry Apple vape.
Next, another Minersville Patrolman went to a home on Carbon St. where they found Twigg in an upstairs bedroom. He was taken into custody without incident.
Twigg’s girlfriend reportedly told police that the night prior, she witnessed four men at her home planning to rob the General Store. When she learned of their plan, she left, not wanting to be part of the scheme.
She told police that all four left her home when it got dark on Monday night and returned sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. on Tuesday. Twigg reportedly was sweaty, according to his girlfriend, and said to her that he’d “done something bad” and that he hoped the other three men make it home.
Later Tuesday, police from Minersville and Blythe Township executed a search warrant on that Carbon St. home. Inside a bedroom that Twigg shared, they allegedly found a wooden box with the name Adan on it.
Inside the box, police say they found seven of the same vapes that were reported stolen from the General Store, $883 in paper cash and $3.75 in quarters. Police say they also found clothes that were consistent with what they observed in the surveillance footage they obtained from the General Store.
Meanwhile, at a nearby hospital, Alvarez was interviewed in the presence of his mother. He allegedly began making “unprompted statements” about the General Store robbery.
Alvarez allegedly admitted to having the gun at the time of the robbery but said it was a BB gun. He reportedly said that he pointed the gun at the store clerk during the robbery. Alvarez also allegedly said he ditched the gun under a porch while they were initially fleeing police on foot on the night of the robbery.
Charges against the following have been filed:
Adan Twigg
- Robbery
- Conspiracy to commit robbery
- Theft by unlawful taking
- Conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking
- Receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
Edward Martinez
- Robbery
- Conspiracy to commit robbery
- Theft by unlawful taking
- Conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking
- Receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
Za’ir Alvarez
- Robbery
- Conspiracy to commit robbery
- Theft by unlawful taking
- Conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking
- Receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property
- Aggravated assault
Those three suspects were arraigned and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on $150,000 cash bail.
A warrant is out for the following;
Shynir Jeffcoat
Police believe Jeffcoat was involved in the planning stage of this robbery and was also present in the store, based on their view of surveillance footage obtained from the store.
He’s wanted on these charges:
- Robbery
- Conspiracy to commit robbery
- Theft by unlawful taking
- Conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking
- Receiving stolen property
- Conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property
- Aggravated assault
Minersville Police are thanking the public for its help in the investigation into this store robbery. Several residents came forward once they saw a call for help in the investigation on Facebook.
They also thank the efforts of police from Port Carbon and Blythe Township in helping make arrests in the case.
“This was a complete department investigation. We were able to have arrests made and three of the four suspects in custody within 24 hours from the burglary,” Minersville Police Chief Jeff Bowers says. “This investigation demonstrates how much can be accomplished when neighboring municipalities join forces and help each other out. we have a great working environment. Chief (Joe) Ferraro and I have worked together for over 20 years and have accomplished many great things.”
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...