5 local teens rob store

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Five local teenagers were booked into the juvenile detention center on charges stemming from the armed robbery of a convenience store.

Cody Becenti, Antonio Ponce, Courtney Harding, Zylon Largo and Aaron Harding were criminally charged for their alleged roles in the robbery of the Dead Horse Mustang convenience store north of Gallup on Wednesday.

The teenagers are between the ages of 13 and 18, according to Sgt. A. Benally, of the McKinley County Sheriff's Department.

The store's clerk and assistant manager were robbed at gunpoint by a teenager who was wearing a Halloween mask to cover his face. Jennie Morales, the manager of the convenience store, said the masked teenager pointed a handgun at the store's clerk and assistant manager and demanded they hand over the business' cash at about 1:40 a.m.

The employees quickly complied with the young man's demands and the teenager fled the store in a red Chevy Cavalier that contained four teenagers. Two minutes later, Morales arrived at the store to ensure her employees were safe.

"I feel like I'm responsible for their safety," she said. "... This is scary." Morales couldn't help but remember a similar incident more than a year ago that resulted in serious injuries for her two clerks who were beaten and robbed by a group of teenagers.

She thinks thieves target the gas station because of its remote location, but Morales wants would-be criminals to think twice before targeting her store.

" They've picked the wrong place and the wrong person," Morales said. To deter such incidents, the store always schedules at least two employees per shift and keeps no more than $50 in the register. The business is also equipped with a silent panic alarm and surveillance camera.

The store's security camera captured the robbery on tape and officers were quickly able to locate the suspects driving along Highway 66 moments after the robbery.

At least one the teenagers matched the description of the person who robbed the store, according to a police report.

District Attorney Karl Gillson said he is considering prosecuting the older teenagers under New Mexico's adult criminal code due to the severity of the crime. He said the older teenagers compounded their offenses by involving younger children.