Two shot at motel

Police hold pair for robbery and assault Wantage — As of Tuesday, the names of the victims of an armed robbery at the Rolling Hill Motel were still being withheld. But the names of two men charged with shooting them, with robbery and unlawful possession of firearms have been released. Charles Puryer, 26, of Branchville and Markus Brown, 25, of Irvington, were taken into custody after a police dog tracked them from the Rolling Hills Motel in Wantage to the Sussex Motel, also in Wantage. The two motels are on Route 23. One of the men may have been the person stopped by police after they received a call about a shooting at the Rolling Hills Motel at 11:36 p.m. on Dec. 4. Two Troopers were on the scene within two minutes after getting that call and they saw a male exiting a motel room carrying two bags, according to Trooper Christopher Kay of the State Police Information Bureau. Police instructed the man to put the bags down and lay down on the ground. He put the bags down, but turned and re-entered the motel room he had just left and locked the door. While attempting to enter the room, the Troopers heard a gun go off and took cover, Kay said. Eleven minutes later, a man and a woman came out of the room bleeding profusely from the head and screaming for help. Wantage EMS was called to the scene and drove the victims to a site where the State Police Northstar helicopter then transported them to Morristown Memorial Hospital for treatment. The motel was surrounded and a State Police canine unit arrived. The dog picked up a scent at the rear of the building near the bathroom window of the motel room the suspect had entered. The dog led the police to a cell phone and suspected controlled dangerous substance police say they believed to be heroin. The dog continued tracking north toward the Sussex Motel, where the manager told one of the police officers that there were two suspicious individuals on his property. State Police tactical units surrounded the Sussex Motel and forced entry into the motel, where Puryer and Brown were taken into custody. A search of the suspects revealed 11 gold dollar coins, which were also found in the victims’ motel room and in the bags dropped by the suspect. Police also found a gun and ammunition. A check on the suspects revealed that Puryer was wanted in Newark for a homicide. The two are being held in the Sussex County Jail without bail. They are charged with robbery by force, aggravated assault with a weapon, possession of a hand gun and possession of a fire arm for unlawful purposes. Assisting with the investigation are the State Police Major Crimes Unit, Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Police Department. The State Police were also assisted by the Hardyston Township Police.