Robbery suspects appear in court

BANGOR -Five men linked to a dramatic robbery at a Waterville motel three weeks ago appeared before a federal magistrate judge Monday in Bangor.

The suspects – three adults and two juveniles – each face multiple federal charges in connection with the early morning robbery Nov. 27 at the Budget Host Inn off Kennedy Memorial Drive. In addition, the adults may face enhanced charges because each has a lengthy criminal record and each may be classified as an armed career criminal.

The 4:15 a.m. robbery netted the robbers $200. During the incident a motel clerk was tied up with a telephone cord and allegedly terrorized when a shotgun was pointed at his face. The robbery culminated in a successful escape, at least for a short time, as the five fled by car on Interstate 95.

Four of the suspects were captured at gunpoint about an hour after the robbery on the Maine Turnpike near Portland. A fifth suspect, Marquis A. Craig, fled and remained at large until he was forced by law enforcement officials off the roof of a Portland apartment building two days later. Following a struggle and demands that police shoot him, Craig was arrested and jailed.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret J. Kravchuk presided at the five hearings, which stretched into the early evening hours Monday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gail Malone is prosecuting the cases.

Manuel A. Roderick, 22; Dennis J. Mooney, 23; and Craig, 20, all of New Bedford, Mass., were led handcuffed and in leg shackles into the courtroom for separate hearings Monday.

All but Mooney waived their rights to a preliminary examination and a detention hearing. Mooney has requested both. All remained jailed in Bangor on Monday night.

Information was sketchy on the two juveniles allegedly connected to the crime. According to previous news reports, one is a 17-year-old from Portland and the other is a 16-year-old and from Swansea, Mass. Their initial appearances were closed to the public. Each of the youths was seen being led handcuffed into the magistrate judge’s courtroom. Later, each one was led, handcuffed, out of the courtroom and whisked to holding cells by U.S. deputy marshals.

Roderick, Craig and Mooney each are charged in a complaint with Hobbs Act robbery, which is defined as a robbery affecting interstate commerce. In addition, they are charged with possession of a sawed-off shotgun and being felons in possession of a firearm.

If convicted of all charges, they each face a maximum possible penalty of 30 years in prison and a half million dollars in fines.

Additionally, if they are classified as armed career criminals – an action that begins with a grand jury indictment – their individual penalties could be increased to a mandatory 15 years to life in prison. They all face state charges in addition to federal counts, according to court officials.

At a previous court hearing in Waterville, Craig was accused of wielding the sawed-off shotgun used in the robbery. “A sawed-off shotgun was leveled and put right to the face of the motel clerk,” said Kennebec County Assistant District Attorney Eric Fowle at a Nov. 29 hearing at Waterville District Court.

One of the juveniles allegedly accompanied Craig and Mooney into the motel lobby while the other waited outside with Roderick. They waited in a Volkswagen Jetta, which was described in detail for police by the shaken motel clerk.

The car was spotted by a turnpike tollbooth employee about an hour after the robbery in New Gloucester. After police stopped the car, Craig reportedly dashed across the four-lane highway and disappeared into the woods.

It is expected that their cases will be forwarded to a grand jury in Kennebec County, and most likely, to a federal grand jury in Penobscot County.