BARTON — The investigation of the armed robbery at Circle K in Barton that happened on January 23 is starting to be pieced together. Police now feel they have identified the suspect and the driver of the getaway car.
On Tuesday, Daniel Dunn, 23, pleaded not guilty to charges related to the armed robbery, as well as the theft of nearly $2000 worth of musical equipment from Neil Snow’s apartment in Barton. Dunn, who lives in Oxford, Maine, confessed to police when interviewed earlier.
It’s not clear why Vermont State Police secured a confession from Dunn while questioning him in Maine, but did not arrest him at the time. Dunn showed up to court in Newport on Tuesday voluntarily. He is being held on $150,000 bail.
Also on Tuesday, Vermont State Police met with Susanne Champagne, age 27, of Enosburg, at the State Police barracks in St. Albans in connection with the investigation of the armed robbery.
Video surveillance from the store showed the robber was dropped off at the store by a yellow vehicle.
The investigation revealed that Champagne was operating her yellow Chevrolet Cavalier and dropped off Daniel Dunn at the Circle K store in Barton immediately prior to Dunn robbing the store. Dunn was picked up by Champagne who then transported Dunn away from the scene. Champagne later destroyed the clothing worn by Dunn during the robbery.
Champagne was issued a citation to appear in the Orleans Criminal Unit of the Vermont Superior Court on April 22 on charges of Accessory Before the Fact and Accessory After the Fact.
In an affidavit written by Detective Sgt. David Peterson, Dunn and Champagne were pulled over in Lyndonville just after the robbery because their car matched the one described in the robbery. Dunn had changed clothes and told police that they had come to Lyndonville from Orleans, not Barton. Dunn was still wearing a pair of untied work boots, which the officer noted as being mentioned in the suspect’s description. Because they had no reason to detain them at the time, they were released following the stop.
During the course of the investigation, Dunn’s cell phone was tracked as being in the area at the time of the robbery.
In Maine, both Dunn and Champagne confessed, with Champagne stating, “Okay, yes, Danny robbed the Circle K.” She also informed police that they did it because they needed money to purchase heroin.
It also came out in the confession that the two were in Lyndonville to buy heroin when they were pulled over after the robbery. Dunn stated that he fled to Maine to get cleaned up from his drug addictions.
