Charges for woman, boy in series of armed robberies in Kitsap

A woman who served as a driver for a group of youths accused of committing four armed robberies at stores in Bremerton and Silverdale on Tuesday evening – three of which were recorded during a window of less than 30 minutes – denied to police "any knowing participation" in the robberies and told them she had been visiting landmarks from her childhood, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Sharon Joannemarie Snyder, 32, of Olympia, as an accomplice in two counts of first-degree robbery in Kitsap County Superior Court on Thursday. A 14-year-old boy from Spokane was also charged in the court's juvenile division with a count of first-degree robbery. Two other juveniles linked to the robberies are still at large.

The youths are accused of robbing three Bremerton-area stores: the C&C Super Save convenience store off National Avenue, the Rob's Quick Stop store off 15th Street and the Sheridan Mini Mart on Sheridan Road. Law enforcement also linked the group to a fourth robbery at the 76 gas station on Old Frontier Road in Silverdale later on Tuesday evening.

During an interview with police, Snyder confirmed that she was driving the vehicle that was at the robberies, though she denied participating in them, a Bremerton police corporal wrote in a report.

"Sharon claimed she did not know the real names of her passengers, but identified them 'Joe,' 'Moe' and 'Curly,'" the corporal wrote, later adding: "Joe, Moe and Curly were nicknames she applied based on her understanding of The Three Stooges."

The corporal wrote that the woman said the group had come with her to Kitsap County from the Seattle and Olympia area.

"When Sharon was asked about her direction of travel and who made her stop, she claimed she was visiting landmarks of importance to her from her childhood in Bremerton," the corporal wrote. "From the beginning of my interview with Sharon, she denied she was directed to go to any one place, but admitted to stops at the request of the juveniles."

"Sharon admitted to picking the males up but when I asked how she knew where they would be, she claimed she would just see them," he added. "However, based on the areas and the short time between the robberies, it appeared unlikely Sharon would stumble onto the males in the process of sightseeing, consistently, in such short periods of time. In the case of the Sheridan Mini Mart, Sharon appeared to turn down a side street near the store, which was out of sight of anyone at, or near the store. Sharon admitted to turning off, and even made a statement about speeding. Sharon did not have a clear reason for not using the store's parking lot, as if she had innocently dropped the males off to purchase items."

One man said he walked in as two of the young males were robbing the Rob's Quick Stop, and they pointed a gun at him, as well as at the owners of the store, according to court documents. One of the males, later identified as a 14-year-old by a birthmark on his wrist, held his handgun to the back of the head of one of the owners, the corporal wrote.

The clerk at the Sheridan Mini Mart said two males had entered her store, and one pointed a handgun at her and another put his handgun against her ribs. They demanded she open the register before they took some cigarettes and ran off.

A witness saw the two get into a Jeep Grand Cherokee on a nearby street and reported a description of the vehicle. That vehicle was later seen at the 7-Eleven on Wheaton Way. Two of the juveniles ran from the vehicle, but the 14-year-old was detained.

A Bremerton police officer reported that he "made multiple excited utterances regarding the numerous robberies and his involvement," according to court documents.

After a search, law enforcement found Snyder, the daughter of the registered owner of the Jeep, at an address on Spruce Place.

Lt. Ken Dickinson, with the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, said Thursday afternoon that investigators were still working to arrest the two youths who ran from the vehicle.