BELLEFONTE — Two 16- year-olds who police said participated in an armed robbery of an Amish store last week have been charged as adults.
Vincent M. Knepp, of Rebersburg, and Brooke L. Wingard, of Aaronsburg, waived their rights to preliminary hearings Wednesday on felony charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.
They were released from jail on $10,000 unsecured, supervised bail Wednesday.
State police said Brittany L. Wingard, 20, of Aaronsburg, and Knepp went into Speicher Bulk Foods the morning of Nov. 23. Brittany Wingard brandished a .233 caliber assault rifle and told the employee she’d shoot her if she didn’t give her money, police wrote in charging documents.
But the employee, a 62-yearold woman, fought back, pushing away the weapon and yelling to her family to call 911, police said.
Brittany Wingard told police that’s when she left with Knepp. Police said they got into a getaway car set up by Brooke Wingard. Another person, a 14-yearold girl, was in the getaway car, but that person hasn’t been charged yet.
Brittany Wingard is charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, terroristic threats, and corruption of minors, but her preliminary hearing was delayed Wednesday. She remains in jail on $100,000 straight bail. She told police the weapon was hers and that she wanted to rob the store because she didn’t have money, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed by state police.
