Facemask, SUV tie man to 2 robberies in Hempfield, Latrobe, police say

A collaborative effort between Latrobe Police and state troopers resulted in the arrest Thursday of a Columbia County man for separate holdups of convenience stores.

Christopher P. Broadt, 29, of Bloomsburg, was arrested at a Latrobe residence on charges of robbing the BP convenience store at 204 Lloyd Avenue in Latrobe about 3:45 p.m. Monday and a second robbery of the 7-Eleven store on Fosterville Road in Hempfield about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Latrobe Detective Michael Wigand said Broadt entered the BP, where he approached the counter holding an energy drink, pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded a carton of Newport 100 cigarettes and cash. Police said he forced another customer in the store behind the counter before fleeing with $200 and the cigarettes.

“He told the clerk, ‘I’m sorry for having to do this,” before grabbing the cigarettes and fleeing,” Wigand said in court documents filed with District Judge Michael Mahady.

Police obtained a description of Broadt and a partial description of the Jeep Cherokee SUV he was driving.

Two days later, a man wearing a similar blue and white protective mask entered the 7-Eleven in Hempfield and the clerk joked that “if it wasn’t for covid, I’d think this is a stickup,” according to court documents filed by Trooper Robert Politowski.

Politowski said the clerk told police Broadt replied, “Well, it is a (expletive) stickup” and pulled out a firearm that later turned out to be a BB gun.

Politowski said Broadt demanded Newport cigarettes, cash from the register and told the clerk to “count to 100” before calling police.

Troopers obtained video surveillance of Broadt fleeing in a similar SUV with $211 and two cartons of cigarettes and also obtained a partial license plate number.

State police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani said Latrobe Police noted that there were similarities in the robberies.

“It’s great when you get collaboration between agencies like this. Like many robberies, this was drug-related, so it’s hard to say how many more might have been committed before he was arrested,” Limani said.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt,” he said.

Latrobe Police were able to develop enough information to identify the vehicle he used in both holdups and trace it to a West Madison Street residence, Limani said.

City police obtained a search warrant and, inside the apartment, police and troopers say they found Broadt and a backpack that contained the facemask the robber wore in both holdups, a BB gun plus an “It’s a ‘Burg’ thing” sweatshirt he wore in the first holdup. They also recovered multiple packs of Newport cigarettes.

Investigators said Broadt confessed to both robberies. He was ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $50,000 bond.