Couple accused of toting kids on crime spree charged with robbery, child endangerment
A couple who police say went on a crime spree this week with their two young children asleep in their getaway car have been charged with multiple counts of robbery and child endangerment.
Roxanne R. Egan, 23, and Charles R. Emerson, 26, made their first appearances Friday in Sedgwick County Court via a video feed from the county jail, where they have been housed since their arrests.
Egan is facing three counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated endangering a child for her alleged role in the robberies of three west Wichita stores on Tuesday. Emerson is facing the same charges, and one additional count of aggravated robbery for allegedly taking property from a person while armed on April 18, according to the criminal complaint filed in their cases.
The couple is accused of armed robberies at X-Citement Video at 3909 W. Pawnee; QuikTrip at 2510 W. Pawnee, and Petro America at 2838 W. Central. All the robberies happened within a roughly two-hour time span, starting at about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, police said, all while their 10-month-old daughter and a 5-year-old son slept in the backseat of their gold Chevy Tahoe.
Money was stolen from each of the businesses, according to police and court documents. Also taken, Wichita police said, were a smoking bong, sex toys and a game from the video store, and cigarettes from the gas stations.
Emerson, police have said, robbed the stores while Egan drove. The couple were arrested after the final robbery during a traffic stop.
On Friday, a judge set Egan’s bond at $35,000. Emerson is being held in lieu of $150,000 bond. He also ordered the couple to have no contact with their children.
On an application for a court-appointed attorney, Egan wrote that she was not working and had been unemployed for four years. Emerson said he was employed by a local flooring and cabinet dealer. They are due back in court May 7.
Reach Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com. Follow her on Twitter: @amyreneeleiker.
This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Couple accused of toting kids on crime spree charged with robbery, child endangerment."