14-year-old Assaulted Store Clerk, Stole Cigarettes

A 14-year-old area girl who allegedly shoved a store clerk before stealing cigarettes last Friday also is facing charges she shoplifted from a grocery store on Monday, according to police.

On Friday around 4 p.m., police received a call of a robbery at City Hall Market at 278 Central Ave., just a block away from the police station.

Witnesses told police a girl had gone into the store and used physical force on the clerk before stealing Marlboro cigarettes.

Witnesses said the girl shoved the clerk and then when she tried to leave the store another individual tried to stop her. She allegedly repeatedly kicked the person before leaving the store, said Dover Police Capt. Bill Breault. Police said there was no weapon used.

Patrol officers began looking for the girl and located someone fitting the same description in the parking lot behind the library only 15 minutes after the call. Police were unable to locate the cigarettes.

"Our investigation revealed before she was apprehended, she was able to dispose of the cigarettes," Breault said.

The girl was released to her parents and is scheduled to appear in juvenile court sometime in the next month. She is currently being charged with a felony count of robbery, but police said there is a possibility those charges could change.

Breault said Dover has seen thefts over the years, but he doesn't recall any involving just stealing cigarettes.

On Monday, police responded to call at the Central Avenue Hannaford around 3 p.m. where witnesses said a girl had stolen makeup, including a "compact case," and other items.

Near the area of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, police located the girl fitting the description provided by witnesses. Police officers recognized the girl and when they attempted to speak with her, she fled from the officer toward Garrison Hill Park.

After about 15 minutes, police located her hiding in the woods.

She is facing charges of willful concealment and resisting detention. She will face charges for both the Friday and Monday incidents in the near future. Police are not releasing her name because she is a juvenile.