North Strabane Man Jailed for Robbery in Canonsburg

A North Strabane man was jailed Sunday afternoon for the attempted robbery of the Subway restaurant in Canonsburg.

Canonsburg police said Mario Pellegrino, 20, walked into the Subway Sunday morning with a blue-and-white bandana obscuring his face and demanded all the money in cash register from the clerk, who managed to hit the panic button.

Police said when they arrived at the scene, the store employee said she observed what she thought to be the black handle of a weapon sticking out of one of the man's pockets—which made her believe he would harm her.

After observing the crime scene, officers discovered the bandana, two black gloves and a hooded sweatshirt in the area of the store. The officers then asked an adjacent business and Subway for surveillence tapes, which showed the suspect without the clothes he wore while allegedly attempting to rob the eatery.

The tapes also showed the man, later identified as Pellegrino, getting into a silver Dodge with front-end damage.

Hours later, the North Strabane police told Canonsburg police that a vehicle matching the suspect's was spotted at a residence.

Police from both departments knocked on the door and spoke to the homeowner, who stated that Mario Pellegrino was inside and sleeping.

Officers advised the homeowner to wake Pellegrino and ask him to step outside. When he did, police observed he was wearing the same shirt and fit the description of the suspect in the surveillance footage.

Pellegrino was then detained and arrested.

He was arraigned Sunday before district Judge David Mark, who remanded him to the Washington County Jail on $50,000 on two counts of robbery, making terroristic threats and criminal attempt.

Pellegrino was still listed as an inmate there as of Monday morning.

Reached Monday, Mayor David H. Rhome lauded the work of Officer Ashley Price and Sgt. James Spingola, who responded to the incidents involving Pellegino.

Rhome said that through savvy police work Price and Spingola were able to identify and detain the alleged suspect, and also determine that Pellegrino was  responsible for a hit-and-run early Sunday that damaged a telephone pole.

"They did a marvelous job," Rhome said.