Robert Burks
A Philadelphia man who allegedly grabbed a cashier at a Wawa in Ventnor and stole several cartons of cigarettes was ordered held in jail Tuesday.
Robert Burks, 42, already was indicted in the case, which dates to July 11, 2023.
He is accused of entering the Wawa on Ventnor Avenue with two other men, going behind the counter and placing the cashier in a chokehold while holding an unknown object to her neck.
Burks told the girl not to scream or make any obvious movements before asking her where the cigarettes were, she would later tell police.
When he saw a box on the floor holding several cigarette cartons, Burks “removed his arm from around her neck and picked up the large box,” Judge Pam D’Arcy read from the affidavit of probable cause.
Burks then left the store with the large box, and drove off toward Atlantic City.
He failed to appear for a post-indictment arraignment this past May, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph More told the judge.
“I just wanted to state that I never knew there was a warrant out for my arrest,” Burks later told the judge, after she made her decision to have him remain jailed. “I never ran from none of my court dates, and I apologize if I hurt anybody.”
Burks is a home health care worker who takes care of two people, public defender John Bjorklund told the judge. Burks indicated one of those patients is his father.
He also is father to five children, ages 5 to 22. His 17-year-old daughter lives with him in Philadelphia, Bjorklund said.
Burks also has a criminal history in Pennsylvania, including a previous weapons conviction.
He is now indicted for second-degree robbery and third-degree theft in the Ventnor case.
The public safety assessment, which is used to help determine whether a defendant should be held pre-trial under bail reform, recommended he be released with the condition of reporting to the courts twice a month.
But D’Arcy said that did not take into consideration the scope of the case or the dangerousness the defendant poses to the victim and the community.
“This occurred in a public place at a shore town during summer time,” the judge said. “The victim or a customer could have been seriously injured.”
