3 men plead innocent in Warren robberies

By Ed Runyan

WARREN — Three men have pleaded innocent to robbery charges.

Eric D. Bender, 18, of Oak Street Southwest, and Kenneth R. Carter, 20, of Miller Street Southwest, are in Trumbull County Jail, both being held on $15,000 bond in a robbery about 1 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of North Park Avenue and Washington Street Northeast.

A 36-year-old city woman told police she was walking when two men grabbed her purse and fled.

About 1:45 a.m., however, Officer Melanie Gamble saw a vehicle turning onto Elm Road from High Street without making a complete stop.

Gamble stopped the vehicle and noticed that the two men inside matched the description of the robbers. The victim later identified Bender and Carter as the men who took her purse. The purse, which contained gift certificates, was not recovered.

Bender and Carter return to Warren Municipal Court at 10:15 a.m. Thursday.

If convicted, Bender and Carter each face up to five years in prison.

About 6 p.m. Wednesday, a 34-year-old city woman was walking along East Market Street near Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital when a man walked up behind her wearing a red bandanna across his face and told her to give him her money.

He was holding his hand in his jacket as if he had a gun, the woman said.

The woman told the man she didn’t have money and ran to a nearby gas station. The suspect ran behind buildings.

Officer David Weber arrived and was talking to the victim and a customer at the gas station when the customer noticed someone running down East Market Street.

Weber alerted other responding officers, including some who were working private security jobs, and they arrested the man about three blocks west. The victim identified him as the robber.

The man, Anthony A. Craig, 32, of 1504 Oak Knoll Avenue S.E., pleaded innocent Thursday morning in Warren Municipal Court to robbery and is being in the county jail without eligibility to make bond. He returns to court at 10:15 a.m. Thursday.

If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison.

runyan@vindy.com