1. Bel Air, CA. 2. Charlotte, NC. 3. Turlock, CA. 4. Pinole, CA. 5. Grand Rapids, MI. 6. Leeds, AL. 7. Columbus, OH. 8. Newport, RI. 9. Charlotte, NC. 10. Memphis, TN. 11. Benton, AR. 12. Chesterfield, VA. 13. Valley, AL. 14. Philadelphia, PA. 15. Wilmington, NC. 16. Lawton, OH. 17. Little Rock, AR. 18. Bristol, TN. 19. Urbana, IL. 20. Attalla, AL. 21. Fort Worth, TX. 22. Omaha, NE. 23. Toledo, OH. FORMER EMPLOYEE CHARTED IN BEL AIR TACO BELL ROBBERY Police have charged an ex-employee in connection with a robbery last week at the Taco Bell restaurant in Bel Air during which three employees were locked in a freezer. David Joseph Furey, 25, of the 800 block of Pecan Court in Bel Air, was arrested and charged Thursday with armed robbery, second- and fourth-degree burglary, theft less than $1,000 and theft between $1,000 and $10,000. Around 6 a.m. on July 25, one of three employees in the restaurant on Route 1 in Bel Air Town Center, opened the back door to take out the trash when a man holding a baseball bat, later identified as Furey, motioned for the employee to go back inside, then allegedly motioned for all three employees to go into the restaurant's walk-in freezer, according to charging documents. Each employee was patted down, and Furey allegedly took a cell phone, wallet and iPod touch, according to the charging documents. Furey did not communicate other than by gestures and by typing messages on the iPod Touch he allegedly stole, according to charging documents. One of the motions was to open the safe and get money, but the manager said the safe, which is on a timer, couldn't be opened for 10 minutes, according to charging documents. After 10 minutes, the manager opened the safe, took out the cash and gave it to Furey, who saw another safe inside and gestured that he wanted money from that safe as well, according to the documents. When the manager said it would be another 10 minutes before the safe could be opened, Furey took her back to the freezer where the other two employees were being held. Ten minutes later, Furey took the manager to the second safe, which she then opened and put the money inside a bag. The manager was again taken back to the freezer, which Furey allegedly then barricaded with a metal storage rack, according to charging documents. Furey allegedly stole $3,550 to $4,150 from the two safes, according to charging documents. Furey, whom the employees said was wearing only socks and no shoes, left the restaurant but returned shortly thereafter to retrieve the baseball bat he had left inside, according to charging documents. To get in, he allegedly broke the service door glass window with a rock. When he returned he was wearing flip-flops. Police interviewed Furey, at the suggestion of a previous employee. Furey said he had not been involved in taking anything from the safe that morning. Two days later, a cab driver told Bel Air Police about her contact with Furey. She said drove Furey, who appeared intoxicated, last Wednesday evening from Hollywood Casino in Perryville to the Pecan Court address, where he told her he didn't have any money, according to charging documents. When the driver told Furey she would drive him to the police department, Furey went to get money that he took from a black gallon-size bag. When the driver commented that Furey had dropped a number of $5 bills on the ground, he allegedly said he had a lot of money because he had robbed a Taco Bell, according to charging documents. The driver left Furey a note telling him where his car was at the casino. On Thursday, police approached Furey while he sat on the sidewalk in front of his home, according to charging documents. The officers said he appeared highly intoxicated and was holding a "significant number" of $5 bills with others lying on the ground around him. Police searched his home and found a note written by the cab driver and a pair of flip-flops matching the ones worn by the suspect in the video surveillance from the Taco Bell, according to charging documents. Furey was arrested and taken to Harford County Detention Center and released Friday on $30,000 bond. SCOTT DIXON REFLECTS ON FAST-FOOD ROBBERY CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The whole plan had been to celebrate Scott Dixon’s pole-winning run for the Indianapolis 500 at a downtown Italian restaurant. But the restaurant was closed by the time Dixon had completed his media obligations Sunday night. “Really, only the next choice was to get fast food,” Dixon said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. So Dixon and his friend Dario Franchitti headed to Taco Bell, where Dixon planned to order his usual Cheesy Gordita Crunch, subbing beans for the meat. The two were robbed at gunpoint while waiting in the drive-through lane just a mile down the road from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It was definitely shocking, disbelief for the most part,” Dixon said, acknowledging the “bizarre contrast” of being robbed a few hours after the high of winning the pole for the race this Sunday. “It will make you feel really small again,” Dixon said. Dixon has been advised not to discuss details of the Sunday night robbery, in which the police arrested two boys, ages 15 and 14. Tony Kanaan, a teammate of Dixon’s with Chip Ganassi Racing, told reporters that Dixon and Franchitti had their windows down when they were approached at gunpoint. “They held a gun at Dixon’s head and asked him for his wallet and his phone,” Kanaan said. Dixon, a New Zealander nicknamed the Iceman because nothing seems to rattle him, said he felt that he and Franchitti had remained calm throughout the episode. He and Franchitti are avid watch collectors; Dixon said the vintage Rolex he was wearing and “a Daytona edition that Dario has been wearing as his lucky watch” were the two most valuable things in the car. Neither watch was taken. In Sunday’s qualifying event, Dixon’s four-lap average was 232.164 miles per hour, the best qualifying run in 21 years at Indianapolis. When he saw his speed, Dixon thought the speedometer was broken. It is the third pole at Indianapolis for Dixon, the 2008 race winner and a four-time IndyCar series champion, and he understands the significance of the achievement. “Winning the pole really means a lot for the drivers,” he said. “You are trying to keep the car on its limits, so there’s kind of respect amongst yourselves, in this community. Although the race is the important part, there’s a great sense of pride in what we did Sunday.” Two days removed from the roller coaster of emotions, Dixon seemed intent on putting the robbery behind him and focusing on winning his second Indianapolis 500. He participated in the annual off-day media tour on Tuesday, at the tour’s stop in Toronto, and reflected on his experience at Taco Bell — the restaurant of choice only because the nearest McDonald’s, a Ganassi team sponsor, was closed for renovations. “I think the biggest thing is you are just hoping that everything is O.K., grateful that nothing silly happened,” Dixon said. “That’s the world of difference. That aside, personally, it maybe brings you to think about choices you make.” Like going to Taco Bell at 10 p.m. after winning the pole? “I’d still go,” he said with a laugh. ONE WORKS THERE, THE OTHER DID. NOW, YOUNG WOMEN ARRESTED IN TACO BELL ‘TAKEOVER’ Turlock Police have arrested two women in connection with a “takeover style” robbery at a Taco Bell in Turlock earlier this month. One of the suspects, wearing a mask, forced her way into the Taco Bell in the 2700 block of Geer Road at about 3:30 a.m. on July 14, according to Sgt. Russ Holeman. With a gun drawn the suspect forced employees into a walk-in refrigerator, then took the cash from the register and safe. The suspect left the store and went to an awaiting vehicle driven by a second suspect. Holeman said the employees left the refrigerator once they felt it was safe and called 911. No one was injured. At the time of the robbery the restaurant was closed and locked but the drive-thru was open. The suspect had entered the restaurant through an employee door by taking advantage of a “weakness in the security” only someone with knowledge of would know how to use, Holeman said. Detectives used this information to help them identify the suspects as 18-year-old Patricia Teixera Pires, an employee of the Taco Bell and 21-year-old Monique Renee Garcia, a former employee. Detectives interviewed Garcia and Pires; both confessed to the crime. Pires was picked up at the Taco Bell for her interview with detectives and can be seen wearing an apron in a photo taken at the Turlock Police Department. A replica firearm was recovered as was some of the cash which had been stolen. Garcia and Pires were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call Detective Frank Navarro 209-664-7319. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at 209-668-5550 extension 6780 or email at [email protected]. ROBBER HITS TACO BELL IN PINOLE, STEALS FROM EMPLOYEES PINOLE — Several Taco Bell employees were robbed Tuesday morning by a lone suspect, police said.