On Nov. 29,St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigations obtained several search warrants related to the recent WaWa armed robberies.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and Charles County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Teams executed three simultaneous entries on three separate locations in Lexington Park, Mechanicsville and Leonardtown.
Once the three locations were entered and searches began, a forth search warrant was executed on another Leonardtown apartment. An additional search warrant was obtained and executed on a vehicle used in the Robberies.
All three suspects were apprehended. Suspect Cornelius Leroy Chase, 44 of Leonardtown, and Wendell Knott, 32, of Leonardtown, were each charged with two counts of armed robbery. Gerald Knott, 33, of Lexington Park, was arrested and charged with one count of armed robbery. Additional charges are pending a State’s Attorney’s Office and Grand Jury review.
Detectives from the Calvert County Investigations Unit responded and assisted in the searches as well as the interviews of the suspects. A positive identification of Suspect’s Wendell Knott and Cornelius Chase was made in several cases that they are currently investigating.
Numerous items of evidence were seized during the Search Warrant executions. All Suspects are incarcerated pending a bond review.