Pair face robbery charges

JACKSON - Two Berkeley Township men have been charged with the New Year's Eve armed robbery of a township business.

According to information provided by police, Jackson Detective Howard Bogan has charged Matthew Everitt, 21, of the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, and Robert Mahan, also of the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, with the Dec. 31 armed robbery of the Rite Aid pharmacy in the Manhattan Street Plaza, Bennetts Mills Road.

In a report, Detective Lt. John Siedler said that at 4:59 p.m. a pharmacist in the store was approached by a masked man who waved a 10-inch kitchen knife in the air and demanded narcotics.

Siedler said the masked man was Everitt. The lieutenant said that after receiving 960 oxycodone tablets from the pharmacist, Everitt fled the store, ran across the shopping center parking lot and entered a car being driven by Mahan.

According to Siedler, information developed by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Strike Force resulted in the apprehension of Mahan, Everitt, his brother Michael Everitt, Daniel Opthof and Anthony Connors, all of Bayville, following the Jan. 3 robbery of a drug store in Lacey Township.

Following an investigation by the Narcotics Strike Force and the Jackson, Berkeley and Lacey police departments, Mahan and Matthew Everitt were identified as the perpetrators of the Dec. 31 Jackson robbery.

Michael Everitt has also been charged with hindering the apprehension of Matthew Everitt by providing authorities with false information during the investigation.

Jackson police later recovered evidence linked to the Dec. 31 robbery. That evidence was found to have been discarded by Matthew Everitt and Mahan on South Cooks Bridge Road, not far from the Rite Aid pharmacy, reports said.

Matthew Everitt and Mahan were placed in the Ocean County jail, Toms River, in default of $250,000 and $100,000 bail, respectively.

Michael Everitt was issued a summons to appear in court.

Detective Howard Bogan is the investigating officer.