Robbery Accomplice Suspect Held on $100,000 Bail

Hartford — A 39-year-old White River Junction man who police say was an accomplice to two Route 5 gas station robberies is being held on $100,000 bail following his recent arraignment on three felony charges.

Travis Popp pleaded not guilty on Jan. 30 in Windsor Superior Court to two counts of assault and robbery with a weapon and a single count of heroin trafficking.

Popp allegedly was the getaway driver for 28-year-old Justin Hatch, who is accused of robbing the Cumberland Farms on Jan. 15 and Wilder Mobil gas station on Jan. 17. The two then returned to the Shady Lawn Motel, where they had been staying, and Popp used the money from the robberies to buy and sell drugs in conjunction with two other people, according to police affidavits.

Popp first was taken into police custody on Jan. 20, when Lebanon police, who were helping Vermont police in the case, arrested him near the Route 12A Wal-Mart on a shoplifting warrant. A Lebanon District Court judge arraigned him on that matter soon after and set bail at $10,000.

Popp made bail on Jan. 27 and was briefly released from custody due to a glitch in Vermont’s system, Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill said.

New Hampshire authorities at the time didn’t have the paperwork needed from Vermont to keep Popp in custody and transfer him over the river, where he was wanted for his suspected role in the robberies.

Hartford police filed Popp’s Vermont case with prosecutors on Jan. 23 and indicated a need for an extraditable arrest warrant, but didn’t flag it as high priority. As a result, the case moved through the court system slower than it should have, Cahill said.

Popp was released from the Grafton County Jail around 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 27. He was on the streets only for a few hours before a Hartford police officer found him walking along Maple Street in White River Junction and arrested him, Hartford police Deputy Chief Brad Vail said.

“We are pleased that he was promptly apprehended and that Hartford police knew where to look for him once he crossed the state line,” Cahill said.

Popp and Hatch both have status conferences scheduled for March 14 in Windsor Superior Court. Popp might face additional charges, Cahill said.

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.