Two men are wanted after State Police say they pointed guns at a man inside a Girardville home, drove him to an Ashland ATM at gunpoint and then took $3,000 in cash from his residence.
Jayson “Jay” Garcia, 42, of Tower City, and Paul Gregory Laurusevage, 40, of Mahanoy City, who police say goes by the nickname “Squirrel,” are both sought in connection with the July 31 armed robbery, according to State Police-Frackville.
The investigation began Saturday morning, when troopers were dispatched to a reported hostage situation at the Budget Inn in West Mahanoy Township. Investigators determined there was no hostage situation. Two people inside room 11 were detained and taken to the Frackville barracks for interviews, police say.
A trooper had been sent the day before to a Quality Hill Rd. home in Gilberton, where the victim reported he had been robbed at gunpoint around 5:30 p.m. on July 31, police say. The victim told the trooper he believed a friend was being held at gunpoint in room 11 of the Budget Inn.
The victim told investigators he got a phone call from Garcia asking to meet at a house in Girardville that the victim identified as the place where he buys heroin from Garcia. When he arrived, Garcia told him to sit down, the victim told police.
A man the victim knew only as “Squirrel” then walked in wearing a mask that covered everything but his eyes, and both men pointed firearms at him and demanded money, the victim told police. When he said he had no cash on him, the men asked whether he had credit or debit cards. Garcia ordered him into a brown Dodge Dakota and told him they were taking him to an ATM, police say.
Garcia drove and “Squirrel” sat directly behind the victim, who told police he felt the front of a firearm pressed into the back of his neck during the ride. They arrived at the Ashland Food Mart, on Centre St., where the victim was told to withdraw as much money as he could, police say. Garcia followed him inside and stood next to him at the machine, and the victim told police he believed Garcia had put his firearm in his pocket before walking in. The withdrawal failed because the victim’s card was locked, and Garcia ordered him back to the vehicle, according to police.
Back in the truck, Garcia told the victim to call his wife and ask for all the cash she had available, police say. The victim told police he instructed his wife to hand the money to a friend who was already at the house and to bring it outside when they arrived.
They pulled up to the victim’s home between roughly 6:30 and 7 p.m., and the victim was told to wait in the vehicle. The friend handed Garcia $3,000 in cash. Garcia then drove the victim back to the Girardville house and told him to deliver another $5,000 the next day at a park in Mahanoy City, police say.
The victim did not pay, and Garcia called and threatened to shoot him if he did not hand over the $5,000, the victim told police. The victim then called Frackville Police to report the robbery and the threat.
While the victim was speaking with a Frackville officer, he saw his own white Volkswagen Jetta, which he had lent to his friend the night before, drive past his house, police say. He told police his friend was driving and “Squirrel” was in the passenger seat with a mask over his nose and mouth. He told the officer he believed the two were heading back to room 11 at the Budget Inn.
The victim told police he did not know “Squirrel’s” real name. He described him as about 6 feet tall, thin, white and wearing a plain black hooded sweatshirt.
The friend told investigators he was at the victim’s home during the robbery and remembered being asked to give $3,000 to Garcia, but said he did not learn about the robbery until the victim got home and explained what happened, police say. He told police he later met Garcia at the Country Squire Inn near Schuylkill Haven to ask him to drop the demand for another $5,000, and that Garcia told him “Squirrel” wanted his “cut” of the money.
The next morning, Garcia showed up at the Budget Inn and demanded a ride to the victim’s residence to pick up the money, the friend told police. He said he did not see a firearm on Garcia but believed he may have had one. He drove the borrowed Jetta and was told to pull into the Exxon station at Altamont Blvd. and S. Lehigh St., where Garcia got out and “Squirrel” got into the passenger seat, police say.
As they neared the victim’s house, the friend saw a Frackville officer talking with the victim, police say. He told investigators “Squirrel” reached into his front sweatshirt pocket and told him to “get me out of here.” He said he did not know whether “Squirrel” had a firearm in the pocket but assumed he did because of the robbery the night before. He drove through Mahanoy City and onto Interstate 81-South, and “Squirrel” told him to drop him off as he was taking the Frackville exit, according to police.
A woman interviewed at the barracks told investigators she was not familiar with the details of the robbery but learned “Squirrel’s” identity while speaking with the victim’s wife in the lobby of the Frackville station, police say. She identified “Squirrel” as Laurusevage.
A trooper later retrieved surveillance video from the Ashland Food Mart that shows the victim entering the store with Garcia directly behind him and standing next to him as he tried to get cash from the ATM, police say. The trooper also obtained Ring doorbell video from the victim’s residence showing a brown Dodge Dakota pulling up in front of the house on July 31 and Garcia getting out, walking toward the front of the home and being handed cash, according to police.
Troopers from State Police-Frackville and State Police-Schuylkill Haven went to the last known address for Garcia and Laurusevage but could not find them. Police went to the County Squire Motel, where a manager said two people matching the men’s descriptions had checked out a few hours earlier.
That evening, the investigator called the victim’s wife and asked how she had learned “Squirrel’s” identity. She said she had contacted an associate of Laurusevage, police say.
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