Alleged 'Spider-Man' Robber Nabbed on I-78 in Upper Macungie

A 20-year-old man wanted for the armed robbery of a convenience store in Susquehanna County while wearing a Spider-Man mask was arrested Tuesday along Interstate 78 in Upper Macungie following a traffic stop.

Louis Sherman, of Clifford Township, Susquehanna County, was stopped at 10:22 p.m. on I-78 near mile marker 48.4 after state police allegedly saw him driving erratically. Another person was in the vehicle.

Sherman was later charged with DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving violations.

At first, he falsely told police he was "Michael Sherman," then told police he had given them a wrong name because an arrest warrant had been issued for him on a robbery charge, according to the arrest affidavit.

State police at Gibson said Louis Sherman allegedly robbed the Pump and Pantry convenience store in Lenox Township at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5 while wearing a Spiderman mask, white hooded sweatshirt and jeans. He showed a pistol and demanded an undisclosed amount of money from the clerk, state police said. 

An arrest warrant was issued Oct. 11 and he was considered "armed and dangerous." He is facing charges of robbery, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, according to online court records.

According to an arrest affidavit filed at District Judge Michael Faulkner's office in Upper Macungie, a state trooper from the Fogelsville barracks stopped Sherman on I-78 in an SUV after seeing the vehicle change lanes suddenly, cross the white line on the left side of the roadway and almost strike the median.

The trooper who stopped the SUV said Sherman's eyes were glassy and he detected the smell of alcohol.

According to the arrest affidavit, a passenger in the SUV, Byron Hrickenak, 50, of Alton, said he had borrowed the vehicle from a friend and was headed home. He also appeared intoxicated, the report said, and he gave the trooper permission to search the vehicle.

Police found nine hypodermic needles, a digital scale, a spoon and open containers of beer, according to the affidavit. Hrickenak also had 11 baggies of heroin in his pocket, but Sherman told police that he owned the heroin and Hrickenak had nothing to do with the drugs, according to the court record.

State police at Fogelsville charged Sherman with possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, giving false identification to police and driving violations. Hrickenak was charged with possession of a controlled substance and restriction on alcoholic beverages.

Faulkner arraigned Sherman and set bail at $25,000.

Hrickenak's bail has been set at $10,000.

Susquehanna County, in Pennsylvania's northern tier, is north of Scranton. The county seat is Montrose.

Other "Spider-Man" cases have been reported across the country:

* In Virginia, a man wearing a Spider-Man mask robbed a Check into Cash business in August, according to a report on wavy.com.

* In North Carolina, a man wearing a Spider-Man mask attempted to rob a convenience store in October 2011, but was stopped by the clerk, according to a report on NBC17.

* In Ohio, two men, one wearing a Spider-Man mask, robbed a Chipotle restaurant in April, according to a report on 10TV.com.