Father and son charged in gas station heists

Monroe —The police have arrested a Chester man and his son in connection with a series commercial burglaries. For the past two months, the State Police in Monroe and the Town of Goshen and Village of Florida police departments have been investigating the burglaries, which affected mostly gas stations and convenience stores. Last week, state police at the Monroe barracks set up a task force to conduct surveillance of local businesses. On March 2, investigators and troopers found an unattended vehicle with its engine running on Quarry Road in the Town of Goshen, near an Exxon gas station. They also found Joshua P. Edwards, 20, behind a dumpster, wearing a ski mask and socks over his hands. Police said he had a screwdriver, a two-way walkie-talkie, and the keys to the Exxon station and its ATM machine, which had been stolen on Feb. 27 during the course of a burglary at the same location. Edwards, of 58 Conklington Road in Chester, was taken into custody. During the course of the morning troopers monitored Edwards’s residence to find additional suspects. While outside his residence, according to the police report, an agitated man carrying a Winchester .32 caliber rifle approached the troopers and ordered them to get off of his property. The troopers took the man, later identified as Joshua’s father, Peter Edwards, into custody at the scene. Peter Edwards, 41, was charged with menacing a police officer and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. During a search of the property, police said they found property reported stolen during this recent rash of burglaries, including: a safe stolen from the Exxon station that contained over $25,000 in New York State lottery tickets, an ATM cash box, ski masks, gloves, burglar’s tools (including a flashlight, sledge hammer, and crowbars), telephone calling cards, cigarettes, rolled coins, disposable cameras, U.S. currency, keys to an ATM machine, watches, and assorted miscellaneous property. Most of this property was discovered in a room located behind a false wall in the residence. Police also said they found a small amount of marijuana and cocaine. Both defendants were arraigned in the Town of Goshen Court before Town Justice Thomas Cione on burglary and stolen property charges. They were committed to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail for the elder Edwards and $10,000 cash bail for his son. Police said they are looking for an additional suspect.