Two Pennsylvania men have been indicted for half a dozen armed robberies including one in Kutztown, that were committed last July.
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Dale Mentzer, 36, of Waymart, Pennsylvania, and Heath DeRizzo, 37, of Manheim, Pennsylvania, are charged with two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, four counts of bank robbery, two counts of use and carrying of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The two alleged robbers were captured last July in Maryland after they were connected to the robbery of a bank in West Ocean City, according to a previous report in The Mercury.
The men are accused of armed robberies of the Sovereign Bank branch in Kutztown on July 11, 2013; a Northwest Savings Bank branch in Myerstown on July 16, 2013; a First Cornerstone Bank branch in Phoenixville and The Rodeway Inn motel in Muhlenberg, both on July 18, 2013; and a National Penn Bank branch in Northampton and Cihylik Farms, a farm stand, in Allen Township, both on July 19, 2013.
In the Kutztown robbery, the pair got away with $1,286. In the Phoenixville robbery, the two took $1,880 from the bank.
A third person, Samantha Henderson, 23, of Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, is charged with accessory to robbery after the fact for assisting Mentzer and DeRizzo and hindering and preventing their apprehension.
Mentzer and DeRizzo face a minimum mandatory term of 32 years to life in prison if convicted, as well as a fine up to $2.5 million, five years of supervised release, and a $1,000 special assessment.
Henderson faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 special assessment.
The indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office requires Mentzer and DeRizzo to forfeit the firarms and ammunition allegedly used in the commission of the crimes, specifically a black and silver Kahr Arms Model P9 9mm handgun.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Allentown Resident Agency, Pennsylvania State Police, the East Pikeland Township Police Department, the Northampton Police Department, the Kutztown Police Department, Muhlenberg Township Police Department, Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, and FBI Baltimore-Salisbury Resident Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Gallagher.
