Mather man charged in slew of robberies, break-ins
A Mather man is facing multiple felonies after state police filed charges Wednesday in two separate robbery cases, one from last year and one from 2018.
According to court documents, Dustin Franklin Virgili, 31, of 51 Short St., allegedly robbed convenience stores in Greene County twice in 2018 and four more times in 2019.
In the 2018 case, state police said Virgili was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when he robbed the 7-Eleven on High Street in Franklin Township at 12:40 a.m. July 6. According to the criminal complaint, Virgili told the clerk, Kayla Trump, “give me all the money in the drawer.”
When she tried to call police, Virgili allegedly shoved and pinned her to the counter before taking the cash drawer containing $88 and fleeing. Police later found the sweatshirt and sent it to a lab for DNA testing.
Virgili robbed the same store again at 1:30 a.m. Oct. 18, 2018. Again, Trump was the clerk working that night, and she saw Virgili enter the store and jump over the counter, according to the criminal complaint. This time, he had a towel on his face and charged at her, court documents allege.
The complaint states that Trump used pepper spray on Virgili and an altercation ensued. Virgili managed to flee with the register. Police also sent the towel to a lab for DNA testing, the complaint said.
In that case, police charged Virgili with two counts of robbery and two counts of simple assault.
In 2019, Virgili allegedly robbed three convenience stores and a residence. Police filed charges for all four incidents in the same case.
On April 14, 2019, Virgili robbed the Circle K in Carmichaels at 6:15 a.m. while wielding a screwdriver, according to the criminal complaint. The clerk told police that Virgili demanded money, and she gave him $83 from the register.
The next day, Virgili burglarized the BFS store on East High Street in Franklin Township at 2:40 a.m., according to the criminal complaint. Police said surveillance footage showed Virgili using a hammer to break the glass on the front window of the store to enter. Once inside, he allegedly took about 64 packs of cigarettes.
On April 16, 2019, Virgili is accused of hitting another store for the third day in a row. At 5:30 a.m. he allegedly burglarized the BFS store on Route 21 in Franklin Township. The complaint says he used the front door to enter the store before he took the register and fled. Police said while fleeing, Virgili dropped a hammer in the parking lot, which police sent to a lab to collect DNA.
On June 14, Virgili is accused of breaking into a shed on Jefferson Road in Morgan Township. He allegedly took a leaf blower, a lawn mower, gas cans and a weed trimmer. Police said he dropped two screwdrivers on the shed floor, which police used as evidence and sent them to a lab for DNA samples.
In this case, police charged Virgili with robbery, criminal trespass and three counts of burglary – all felonies. He was also charged with seven counts of theft and one count each of simple assault and criminal mischief. Warrants were issued for his arrest.