Man Charged In Perry Hall Gulf Holdup Denied Bail

PERRY HALL, MD — A Baltimore man has been charged with nine crimes in connection with the armed robbery at the Gulf gas station in Perry Hall. He has been detained since the Jan. 9 holdup.

Jonathan Woodrow Smith, 51, of the 2600 block of Lehman Street in southwest Baltimore, is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Police said that he was arrested after a search that included both patrol and helicopter assistance on Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Perry Hall.

At 8:22 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the Gulf gas station in the 8900 block of Belair Road for an armed robbery that just occurred.

Witnesses called 911 as the holdup was happening, according to Officer Jennifer Peach of the Baltimore County Police Department. The suspect wore a hood and ski mask, Peach said, citing witness accounts.

Inside the gas station, police said the suspect approached the counter, showed he had a handgun and demanded money from the register. Once he got the cash, the robber left.

Witnesses gave a description of the man and direction he went in afterward, police reported.

"One of the responding officers saw somebody matching the description running on Treadway Court," Peach said. That is about 0.7 mile from where the armed robbery occurred.

"Patrol set up a perimeter," Peach said. "Air support responded to the scene and identified a heat source." Baltimore County Police Department helicopters are equipped with infrared thermal sensors to detect changes in heat signatures.

"Officers went in and located the heat source, which was the suspect," Peach said. A handgun was recovered and so was currency, she told Perry Hall Patch.

The night of the robbery, officials reported the suspect was in custody by 10:21 p.m.

Smith was charged with the following, according to court records:

• Armed robbery
• First-degree assault
• Theft from $100 to under $1,500
• Handgun on person
• Loaded handgun on person
• Using a firearm in a felony crime
• Firearm possession with felony conviction
• Illegal possession of ammunition
• Possession of a firearm with a previous drug conviction

Initially, he was held without bail, and judge upheld that ruling at a bail review on Jan. 11.

Smith is slated to appear for a preliminary hearing in Baltimore County District Court on Feb. 8.

RELATED: Perry Hall Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested In Gulf Holdup: Police

Image via Google street view.