Hernandez-Miranda

Two York City men who robbed a convenience-store employee at gunpoint in New Salem last summer must spend several years in prison.

Luis Favian Hernandez-Miranda, 23, of East South Street pleaded guilty Thursday to robbery and conspiracy and was sentenced to three to seven years in state prison, according to court records.

Felix William Rodriguez, 24, of Garfield Street is serving a four- to eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the same charges on Jan. 5, records state.

The men robbed an employee of the Super 7 convenience store, 11 N. Main St., on July 20, police said.

What happened: According to court documents, as the employee walked to his car about 10:15 p.m., the men approached him

Rodriguez
and demanded his wallet, cell phone and money.

One of the men pointed a black handgun at the employee, who handed over his wallet.

The employee hit the alarm button on his key chain to sound the car alarm and the two men fled, the documents said.

Police saw Rodriguez and Hernandez-Miranda, who matched witness descriptions of the robbers, walking north on Route 616 near Route 30 about an hour after the robbery.

Hiding in bushes: When the officers caught up to the men, they were hiding in bushes along Route 30, police said.

Hernandez-Miranda had a loaded Ruger handgun stuffed down the front of his pants and the victim's blank check and cash in his pants pocket, police said.

Both men initially denied committing the robbery, and Hernandez-Miranda claimed officers planted the blank check on him during his arrest.

-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdispatch.com, 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.