Four arrests made in store robberies
Thanks to teamwork and citizen tips, four persons were arrested and charged with armed robbery within 72 hours after two Middlesex convenience stores were held up, reported Middlesex Sheriff Guy Abbott on Tuesday.
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| David Denoncourt | Denise Blankenship |
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| Kevin Blake | Christine Belmore |
Tall Chief Market on Regent Road at Syringa reported an armed robbery on Saturday, Feb. 7. The suspect, described as a white male with a thin face, allegedly held the clerk at gunpoint and demanded money. The employee was ordered to the ground by the gunman, who then fled the scene.
Eleven Middlesex deputies responded, including off-duty, part-time, and courtroom deputies and a Virginia State Trooper.
The next night, Sunday, Feb. 8, Quarles Service Station on General Puller Highway at Locust Hill was robbed at gunpoint. The store clerk was made to empty the register and lie on the floor while the gunman fled the scene.
Thirteen deputies responded including part-time, off-duty, and courtroom deputies.
On Monday, Feb. 9, two of the four suspects were arrested and charged in the Quarles robbery. David Allen Denoncourt, 53, of Topping was arrested and charged with armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and abduction.
Information was obtained by Middlesex Captain R.C. Green that the suspects were leaving Middlesex to hide out in Tappahannock. Shortly thereafter, Captain Green observed the vehicle Denoncourt was traveling in on Grey’s Point Road at Topping and made a traffic stop.
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| Quarles at Locust Hill (top) and Tall Chief Market at Syringa (above) were both robbed at gunpoint this weekend. |
Denise Lee Blankenship, 56, of Hartfield, the owner and operator of the vehicle in which Denoncourt was traveling, was arrested at the scene of the traffic stop on Monday. She is charged with armed robbery for her participation in the alleged robbery at Quarles.
Based on interviews conducted by Middlesex Investigator C.B. Sibley, warrants were obtained for the final two suspects allegedly involved. Kevin Blake, 44, and Christine Belmore, 37, both of Topping, were arrested at their residence on Tuesday, Feb. 10, and each is charged with armed robbery.
While executing the felony arrest on Blake and Belmore, a handgun and a mask allegedly worn by the Quarles robbery suspect were recovered by Captain Green. The four suspects were arraigned on the Quarles robbery on Feb. 11.
In the Tall Chief robbery, indictments will be sought from a Middlesex Grand Jury in March against Denoncourt and Blankenship charging them with the armed robbery of the Tall Chief Market and possible other related charges.
Sheriff Abbott thanked the public who provided information on these crimes. “Citizen information had a lot to do with solving this crime,” he said.
Sheriff Abbott said local citizens are part of “the team” that helps solve crimes. “Don’t hesitate to call with your information,” he said. “It may be the key to solving a crime.”
Sheriff Abbott also praised his entire staff. “The investigation took a lot of good teamwork. Everybody works as a team, works very hard and puts in long hours.”
The robbery charges will be presented to a Middlesex Grand Jury for indictments on the next term day in March. The parties will be arraigned in Middlesex County General District Court on March 2.
All parties arrested in connection with the robberies are being held without bond and housed at the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center in Saluda.
