Burlco ‘career criminal’ gets life in prison

A 49-year-old “career criminal” was sentenced this week to life in prison for two armed robberies in 2017, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.

Frederick “Chief” Owle, who had 21 prior arrests and eight convictions, was found guilty in January on two counts of first-degree robbery and weapons charges. Superior Court Judge Philip E. Haines imposed Owle’s latest sentence on Wednesday.

In April 2017, Owle entered the Wawa on Route 130 in Florence Township, threatened the cashier with a knife and demanded money. The cashier instead announced on the store’s speakers that a robbery was occurring. Owle then fled with a pack of Newport cigarettes.

Shortly after that, Owle used a pipe to threaten two attendants at a nearby Valero gas station and got away with $500. He was apprehended a few hours later at the Budget Inn on Route 130 in Burlington Township.

“On the surface, it might appear that Mr. Owle is going to spend the rest of his life for stealing a pack of cigarettes and a few hundred dollars, but the justification for this sentence is irrefutable,” Coffina said in a statement. “This defendant has demonstrated total disregard for the law and safety of others time and time again, which warrants the tough sentence we sought.”