Store clerk made up robbery stories
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Darci Herdling holds her four-month-old daughter Cheyenne at the East Calais General Store last Friday. Jeb Wallace-brodeur/Times Argus file |
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By Susan Allen Times Argus Editor - Published: November 27, 2008
CALAIS – A clerk at the East Calais General Store was arrested Wednesday night and charged with grand larceny after lying to police about two alleged robberies at the store, and reporting that her 4-month-old baby had been kicked by the robber in one of the holdups, according to Vermont State Police.
Darci Herdling, 22, has been charged with two counts of false report to law enforcement, each a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to a year in jail if convicted, and one count of grand larceny for an amount exceeding $900, a felony that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in jail.
Herdling told The Times Argus late Wednesday night that she did, in fact, concoct the story about the two robberies and fabricated the account of one robber kicking her baby.
"Thursday night we were so busy. Cheyenne slipped out of my arms and fell. I freaked out and lost it. I didn't know what to do," she said by telephone. Concerned that the hospital would question how the child had been hurt, Herdling said she recalled news of recent store robberies in Vermont and came up with the account she told police.
Her report to Vermont State Police on Nov. 20 claimed that a man wearing a ski mask entered the store, pulled a gun and robbed the register of about $1,400. She then stated the man kicked her baby's car seat, sending the seat and the baby across the deli floor. Herdling said the man then cut the phone cord and switched off the outside lights before leaving the store.
In an interview the following night, she said the baby suffered a cut on her head, was taken to Central Vermont Medical Center where she received a CT scan, and was released.
"I thought she was going to die, especially once he kicked her," she said in that initial interview. "I thought he was going to kill her."
Herdling then reported a second attempted robbery to state police on Nov. 23, claiming she entered the store that morning and found a note left sometime overnight with instructions "on what to do."
In a release issued Wednesday night, police said the initial incident did not occur as reported, adding, "Herdling staged the reported armed robbery."
In the second case, "Herdling staged this attempted robbery as well," the release stated. "We had no reason to doubt her. We had every reason to believe her on Thursday night," said Sgt. Trevor Carbo, patrol commander at the Middlesex barracks. "I was out there myself. There was enough … some things that indicated that something had occurred out of the ordinary."
"I've been at this quite a while myself and I had every reason to believe her Thursday night," he added.
Asked if she had, in fact, taken her 4-month-old daughter to the hospital that night, Carbo replied, "I would assume she did." He said he did not see a cut on the baby's head that night, however, as Herdling claimed. Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were involved in the investigation.
Herdling said Wednesday night that she hoped the community could forgive her for lying about the incident.
"I wanted to say that I was sorry to the community. I really appreciate that when all this happened they were so supportive and understanding and concerned," she said. "I wanted to apologize that they were dealing with those emotions for no reason." Herdling noted that her mother, Lesly Lapan, owns the store, but only learned of the hoax Wednesday night after Herdling had been charged.
She said police officers followed her to her mother's home after charging her and were present when she informed Lapan of the situation.
"She didn't know anything about this. I put her through so much the last week," she said. "I wanted to ask the community that any ill feeling they have toward me, please continue to be supportive" of my family. "She was unbelievable," Herdling said of her mother. "I came here expecting my family would never want to see me again. She hugged me and cried and said she loved me."
Herdling said she had been assured she would not lose custody of her daughter following the incident. "I was really worried about that," she added. In addition, she said she would receive mental health counseling.
Lapan said she began to suspect her daughter might have fabricated the story based on police questions.
"I was devastated to find out it was true. I had suspicions, but mainly because of the way police were questioning me," she said. "I could tell that's what they were thinking, but I didn't want to believe it."
"I forgive my daughter," she began, but faltered. "Well, I truly believe in the importance of forgiveness. But I only found out two hours ago. I'll get there. I just feel very sorry for her."
Herdling would not comment on the $1,400 missing from the first "robbery," other than to say, "The money is gone." Carbo declined to release the specifics that led to the arrest, but said investigators became suspicious of Herdling's story after the second report.
He said police contacted Herdling by telephone, and she came into the barracks and was charged with the crimes. Herdling was processed Wednesday night and released with a citation to appear in Vermont District Court in Barre on Jan. 8 to answer the charges.
Lapan said she spoke about the situation because, "I just want people to know the other side. "Please don't pass judgment until you have the facts."
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