Martinsburg Woman Accused of Faking Robbery at Golf World

A Martinsburg woman has been arrested after police said she faked a robbery to cover up for money she stole from her employer.

According to charges filed by Blair Township Police, Brandi L. Ferry, 27, called police on Jan. 6 to report she had been robbed in the parking lot of Golf World in Duncansville. Ferry allegedly told police that she was taking trash out to her car at closing time when she heard something behind her and then felt a hard object in the middle of her back.

Ferry told police she heard a man’s voice say “don’t move and don’t look at me. Keep your head down.”

Ferry said the man then told her to go inside the store and get the money and that “if she looked at them, they would hurt her.”

Ferry told police she went inside the store and got a yellow grocery bag that contained the money and returned outside to her vehicle. Ferry said she kept her head down and gave the man the money at which point he told her to count to 100 before running away.

While investigating the alleged robbery, police found a yellow grocery bag and money in the area where Ferry said the robbery took place.

The owner of Golf World advised police that there was $2,332 inside the yellow bag before it was removed from the store and $1,549 of that was found on the ground.

Police interviewed Ferry at her home two days later at which point she told them the same story as before and that she did not get a good look at the person who robbed her.

Police reviewed video from inside Golf World and said it showed Ferry, on multiple occasions, take money from the register and insert it into the gaming machines.

On Jan. 16, Ferry went to the Blair Township Police station where she was read her rights before being questioned about taking money from the register.

During the interview, police said that Ferry admitted to taking money out of the register and called in the fake robbery to cover for it. Police noted that the cash register was short on seven occasions that Ferry worked between early November and early January for a total of $2,963.

Ferry was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking, filing false reports, receiving stolen property, unsworn falsification to authorities and tampering with evidence.

She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner, Hollidaysburg, and released on $25,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 14, in front of Aigner.