Armed Robber Steals from Kittanning Convenience Store

by Jonathan Weaver

Police are in pursuit of one male who is suspected of robbing a Kittanning convenience store early this morning.

Minutes before 2AM, a Honey Bear convenience store employee along North McKean Street (part of the Sunoco gas station beside Kittanning Junior High School) called 911 after the store was robbed.

Kittanning Borough Police and Pennsylvania State Police were said to be looking for a white male, about 5 foot 11 inches tall wearing a red and grey jacket with grey jogging pants, a mask and sunglasses.

The male suspected threatened the employee with what looked to be a black pistol, and fled on foot south toward Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market at the intersection with Arch Street.

While Kittanning Police were inside the convenience store, State Police troopers were observed with a spotlight at the intersection with Arch Street looking for the suspect. The officer observed a potential suspect a half-mile away near Queen Street, but Kittanning Borough Police said the passenger did not match the suspected actor’s description.

Other individuals were seen walking in the area, but also were not identified as the alleged robber.

Last year, an Adrian man confessed to robbing the convenience store – also at gunpoint - in March.

Brandon Shaffer, 28, was sentenced by Judge James Panchik to serve two years of probation for that robbery after confinement in the Armstrong County Jail for being found during a traffic stop with three bricks of heroin.

Daniel Sites of Kittanning also pled guilty to robbing the store at gunpoint in June 2013. He was sentenced to nine months to two years behind bars for the incident.

A bench warrant was issued for Sites’ arrest two weeks ago.