By Molly Igoe and Brooke Schultz
News Editors
According to a crime alert issued by Chief Adrian Baker of the Chestertown Police Department (CPD), an armed robbery occurred at the Fish Whistle, located at 98 Cannon St, on Feb. 21 at approximately 9:30 p.m.
“A waitress employed at the restaurant went into the parking lot wearing her apron, when an unknown black male approached her car from the side and aimed a black handgun at her, demanding money. She screamed, and threw her apron at him. He took the apron containing a small amount of cash and fled the area on foot. The suspect is described as a black male about six ft tall. He was wearing jeans and a dark hoodie. He had a paisley grey mask/bandana covering his face.”
Lt. John Dolgos of the CPD said, “This is still an active investigation. We have had no leads in the past two days, and we are still talking to certain people. Right after the robbery, we had our K9 track the trail. There were some people we spoke to who saw the suspect prior to the incident. We also did an article search that night, and had the Maryland State Police process the vehicle.”
Lt. Dolgos said that the victim is not a Washington College student. She received a minor injury and is doing okay.
Owner of the Fish Whistle Jeff Carroll said, “She’s all right. She’s a really tough woman and I am sure she’s still scared and still thinks about it, but she’s actually even joked about some things.”
According to both Lt. Dolgos and Gerald Roderick, director of Public Safety, the robbery and last week’s assault are not at all connected, though the incidents have raised concerns about security. Months ago, the lack of cameras was brought to light when Carroll’s landlord had his car broken into.
The Fish Whistle only owns the first row of parking, while all other spaces belong to the town.
“As long as there’s a restaurant here, no matter who owns the restaurant, there’s a shared use,” he said.
After the incident months ago, Carroll’s landlord spoke with the town about additional security.
“I talked to my landlord right after the first incident and then I talked to my landlord right after this [incident], this past Wednesday,” Carroll said. “He had someone here yesterday from Atlantic Security and they went around and looked outside and inside for places we could put cameras. Because, number one, I want them for my own wellbeing, business-wise, for the kitchen and the bar so that nothing’s walking out of them; on the other hand, if a fight occurs or something happens, you can always pull back on the video and see exactly what happened and whose story is correct and whose isn’t. We already have an alarm system in here anyway. It’s just a matter of putting the cameras in.”
Carroll wants both community members and WC students to know that the Fish Whistle is working on the problem.
“We want to provide a fun environment, whether it’s food, alcohol, whatever it is, for everyone. No matter who it is, but especially College students, we want them to make sure that they all know that they’re 100 percent safe here.”