A 44-year-old former murder convict who carried out a series of armed robberies across York has been arrested and charged. The man was eventually caught after he stole Pennsylvania Lottery tickets and decided to redeem one of them.
Attempted Homicide and Other Offenses
According to police, C.F. targeted a minimum of seven local businesses between October and December 12. During one of those robberies, investigators say the man stabbed a Dollar General store manager multiple times.
Earlier this week, F., who served a 12- to 30-year sentence for a murder that he committed in York in 1995, was charged with attempted homicide and 18 additional offenses.
According to data from the Department of Corrections, he was set free three years ago, in 2022.
Chaotic Spree of Robberies
The affidavit filed by York police says F.’s first robbery occurred at around 6:40 pm on October 20 at the Snack and Smoke store on East Philadelphia Street. The surveillance footage showed a gun-carrying man taking approximately $5,000 from the register, then heading out the door. F. was then briefly chased by the police, but they eventually lost his trail.
Just five days later, an employee at the Dollar General on North Sherman Street reported that a man wearing black clothing exited the store with a shopping basket he didn’t pay for. The employee challenged the shopper, who gave him a chilling response: “You’re lucky I didn’t rob you.”
Investigators say F. returned to the same store a few days later, on November 10, just before 9 pm, and went straight behind the counter, where he proceeded to pull out a knife and demand money.
He was told that only the manager had access to the register, to which the man allegedly grabbed the employee by the neck and threatened to kill her if she did not stay quiet.
The affidavit says F. forced the woman to lead him to the back office, where he engaged in a fight with the manager. The manager was eventually stabbed but managed to run outside.
Even more bewildering, F. decided to go back to the Snack and Smoke on East Philadelphia Street on November 25 at around 6:50 p.m. He pulled out a black handgun, placed it on the counter, and asked for the register to be opened, taking off with roughly $1,000.
Just three days later, the man entered a Sunoco gas station on Roosevelt Avenue, fired his handgun, and asked the patrons to put their hands up and lie on the floor.
He then robbed the gas station, leaving with between $1,000 and $2,000, along with a handful of lottery tickets.
The Lottery Win That Gave Him Away
Another robbery followed on December 4 at Smoke and Chill on East Princess Street, where police say F. stole about $1,300. The next day, officers learned that one of the lottery tickets taken from the Sunoco had been cashed at a nearby convenience store.
Surveillance footage showed the same man cashing the ticket, wearing shoes and gloves matching those seen in the earlier robberies. Police later used the JNET criminal database to identify F. as the suspect.
Investigators noted that F.’s brother lives less than a block from where the man was last seen on cameras after the December 4 robbery. Police were able to track him to his brother’s home and arrest him.
The police search revealed stolen items, clothing linked to the robberies, a black Glock 9-millimeter handgun, and the knife used in the Dollar General stabbing.
The man will have a preliminary hearing in court on January 13. In the meantime, he will remain in York County Prison without bail.