Dover Woman Arrested After Committing Two Robberies 1-26-2021

Incident Number: 50-21-2207/2220

Date/Time:  Monday, January 25th, 2021

Location: See Narrative

Contact:   Dover Police Department Public Information Office
Sergeant Mark Hoffman   Email: Mark.Hoffman@cj.state.de.us

Narrative: 

The Dover Police Department arrested Maria Martinez (27) for two robberies that occurred on Monday, January 25th.  The first incident occurred at the WAWA convenience store located at 298 S. DuPont Highway.  A 46-year-old male was using the indoor ATM at the business at approximately 11:42 a.m. when Martinez approached him and asked for cash.  The male refused and Martinez sprayed him with pepper spray.  While the victim was suffering the affects of the spray, Martinez removed an undisclosed amount of cash from his hand and fled the area.  Arriving officers utilized video surveillance and witness accounts to obtain a description of Martinez who was wearing a purple jacket, white shirt, blue jeans, and black Nike shoes.

At approximately 1:02 p.m., officers were called to TJ Maxx, located at 1091 N. DuPont Highway for a report of another robbery.  Upon arrival, officers contacted a 45-year-old male who works as a manager of the business.  The victim advised that Martinez was observed concealing merchandise inside of a large suitcase.  The victim approached Martinez and escorted her to the front of the store.  At that time, Martinez sprayed the victim with pepper spray and fled on foot.  Arriving officers took Martinez into custody and returned $405 worth of merchandise to the business.  Martinez was wearing the same clothing from the WAWA robbery at the time of her arrest.

Both victims refused medical attention.

While Martinez was in custody at the Dover Police Department, she intentionally coughed on officers and stated she was Covid-19 positive.  A later test showed that Martinez did not have Covid-19 at the time of her arrest.

Martinez was committed to Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on a $24,000 secured bond on the following charges:
-Robbery 1st Degree (2x)
-Disorderly Conduct (2x)
-Offensive Touching-Saliva
-Terroristic Threatening
-Endangering the Welfare of a Child