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Man charged in connection with ‘misunderstanding of a Muslim greeting’ headed to higher court

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McGinty said she will use her ‘scrappy’ style to get things done

<p>PITTSTON &#8212; The manager of a Petro Travel Center who <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/515814/manager-charged-in-connection-with-armed-robbery-of-petro-travel-center" target="_blank">allegedly confessed </a>to police that he took part in a <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/510728/dupont-police-investigating-an-armed-robbery-at-petro-travel-center" target="_blank">robbery of the store in February</a> is heading to court on one of his six initial charges.</p><p>Michael Cunningham, 35, of Scranton, appeared before Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. A single felony robbery charge was waived to higher court, while charges of criminal solicitation, conspiracy, tampering or fabricating evidence and making false reports were withdrawn.</p><p>In interviews with police, Cunningham allegedly confessed that he and another man named &#8220;Marco&#8221; conspired to rob the store.</p><p>Cunningham allegedly met &#8220;Marco&#8221; several times at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in January, and during one of those meetings, he allegedly offered &#8220;Marco&#8221; $500 to rob the store.</p><p>On Feb. 7, Cunningham said that &#8220;Marco&#8221; entered the store wearing a mask sometime between 6:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and allegedly grabbed the cashier by the neck and led her to the store&#8217;s safe. The cashier also reported to police that the masked man had a gun to her neck.</p><p>Cunningham allegedly told police that the cashier was not supposed to be there at the time of the robbery. When the masked man pushed the cashier toward Cunningham&#8217;s office, Cunningham told police that the masked man struck him in the head with a baton.</p><p>Cunningham then opened the safe for the masked man, who took four money boxes from inside the safe and fled the store. Cunningham then reportedly pushed his panic button and called police. Cunningham later told police that $11,500 was taken from the safe, and that he and &#8220;Marco&#8221; were supposed to split the money.</p><p>Cunningham told police that he checked a location where &#8220;Marco&#8221; was supposed to put his half of the money two days after the robbery, but said he never got his half.</p><p><strong>Another robbery</strong></p><p>Police also allege that Cunningham stole over $12,000 from the store in January in an attempt to cover up another robbery that took place in November.</p><p>Police were dispatched to the Petro Travel Center on Nov. 27 for a report of an armed robbery, during which approximately $675 was taken from the store.</p><p>During an interview with investigators on Feb. 10 at the state police barracks in Wyoming, Cunningham allegedly told police that $12,000 was taken during the robbery in November. He explained that he was in charge of having the money secured, but that it wasn&#8217;t at the time of the robbery.</p><p>Cunningham allegedly said he reported the $675 stolen and planned to make up the other money before the next audit by stealing a little bit at a time and gambling at Mohegan Sun Pocono.</p><p>Police said that audit records indicate a total of $35,534 is missing from the store. Cunningham allegedly told police that the $12,000 from the November robbery factors into that total, but denied stealing it. Police said that aside from the February robbery, a total of $12,034 was stolen during the month of January to make up the money from the November robbery.</p><p>Cunningham is scheduled for a formal arraignment for 9 a.m. on July 7 in the Luzerne County Courthouse. He remains free on $35,000 unsecured bail.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Cunningham </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_1715.jpg</photo0><caption0>Cunningham </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Petro Travel Center manager charged in robbery is heading to county court