Local man charged with robbery again

A Mt. Morris man arrested Monday and charged with two armed robberies in West Virginia also faces charges in Pennsylvania for the robbery of a pizza shop in Point Marion.
Timothy Paul Mitchell, 28, of 275 Black Runs Road, was arrested Monday in Morgantown, W.Va., by West Virginia State Police and Monongalia County sheriff’s deputies.
He was charged with robbing the Belko Foods Store in Blacksville, W.Va., Sunday and the Hot Spot Lounge in Westover, W.Va., Feb. 23.
Mitchell faces two counts of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony and grand larceny. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail in Sutton, W.Va, on $500,000 bond.
Michelle A. Barto, 22, of Masontown, W.Va., was arrested with Mitchell and is also charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony. Barto allegedly drove the getaway car in the Belko Foods robbery.
State police in Uniontown also have charged Mitchell for the March 27 armed robbery at Sporty’s Pizza in Point Marion.
Charges of robbery, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, theft and receiving stolen property were filed Monday with District Judge Randy Abraham in Masontown.
Police alleged Mitchell entered the pizza shop at 4:30 p.m. and demanded money.
The cashier first refused his request but when he pulled out a handgun, another employee opened the register and provided him with cash.
Mitchell also is considered a suspect in the March 29 armed robbery at the 9-2-9 Store in Dilliner.
In addition, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest by the Greene County Court for failing to appear for a court hearing in January.
Mitchell was charged with escape in June 2013 after he earlier failed to return to the Greene County jail where he was serving a sentence for driving under the influence of alcohol and had work release privileges.
He was subsequently apprehended and jailed on the escape charge until Aug. 16 2013, when he was released on bond. Mitchell later asked for a jury trial, which was scheduled for Feb. 12.
On Jan. 6, Mitchell’s bond was revoked and he was returned to jail at the request of the bonding company, which had information Mitchell planned to flee. Three days later, however Judge Farley Toothman reinstated the bond and released him from jail.
When he failed to appear for a pretrial hearing on the escape charge Jan. 15, a bench warrant was then issued for his arrest.