SALINA -- Two men charged in connection with violent robberies this weekend in Syracuse are facing new charges stemming from a separate incident in the Town of Salina.
48-year-old Robert J. Baker of 28 Stone Court and 43-year-old Howard Underwood of 151 West Bissell Street in Syracuse are accused of robbing the Best Dairy and Grocery store on Court Street. Detectives say Underwood walked into the store and swung an object at the clerk and demanded money from the register. According to deputies a tips jar was also swiped during the robbery.
Both men were charged with robbery in the first degree which is a felony. Baker and Underwood are being held on $100,000 cash/bond for this crime.
Syracuse police say both men were involved in a violent robbery at the Subway in Eastwood along James Street this weekend. According to investigators Underwood hit a customer with a metal pipe before leaving with cash. That alleged crime has caused some Eastwood neighbors to call for an expanded police presence in the area.
A few hours later police say Underwood busted into the Sunoco on the corner of West Genesee and Geddes Streets on the near west side. Detectives say Baker was the getaway driver in those alleged robberies.
