What started as a late-night holdup at a Hinsdale convenience store has turned into a full-blown federal case for two Massachusetts men, after investigators say their getaway ended with a burning U-Haul across the state line. Authorities say 64-year-old Richard Conner of Worcester and 66-year-old James Ferguson of Greenfield were arrested on Friday and now face federal charges in connection with an armed robbery at the T-Bird Mini Mart on Brattleboro Road in Hinsdale. Investigators say the pair entered the store masked, threatened employees with a firearm and took off with merchandise, then fled in a stolen U-Haul box truck that was later found burning and abandoned in Orange, Massachusetts.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Hampshire, the robbery happened on March 15, at about 10:40 p.m. Federal prosecutors say some of the stolen merchandise tumbled out of the truck along the getaway route before the scorched U-Haul was discovered in Orange.
Local coverage at the time described the suspects loading items into the truck and heading south on Interstate 91 toward Brattleboro and across the border. As WMUR reported, witnesses and investigators later recovered some of the stolen goods along that path.
Federal charges and penalties
Conner and Ferguson have been charged by criminal complaint with interference with commerce by robbery, a violation of the federal Hobbs Act. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to prosecutors…