Nineteen-year-old Samantha Townsend and 20-year-old Barbara Filer-Epps, both of Newark, have been charged with robbery, assault and other offenses. They are being held on bond.
Police say about 4:45 p.m. Sunday, a clerk at the Howard Johnson's on South College Avenue was confronted by Townsend, who was armed with a knife. Officers say Townsend and the clerk struggled and the clerk was cut. Police say Townsend took money from the cash drawer and fled.
Officers say the clerk recognized Townsend as a guest in the hotel and found her and Filer-Epps in a room there. Police say evidence linked the two to the crime and they were arrested.
The clerk was treated and released for lacerations.
