The Associated Press
Buena Vista, N.J. (AP) -- A suspect in the robbery of a convenience store was charged Friday with the murder of a state trooper killed when he crashed his patrol car on the way to the hold-up scene.
Middleton M. Dunmore, 34, of Atlantic City was charged with felony murder in the death of Trooper Bertram T. Zimmerman III, state police said. The trooper died Thursday while taking part in an operation to try to catch a suspect in a string of robberies at Wawa convenience stores, state police said.
Zimmerman crashed into a utility pole on State Highway 83 early Thursday morning while on his way to a report of a robbery at the Wawa store in Dennis Township.
The cause of the crash was still under investigation Friday, according to Sgt. Kevin Raymond, state police spokesman.
Troopers spotted a Lincoln Town Car speeding away from the Wawa and pursued it. State police said troopers the suspect was arrested a short time later in Middle Township.
Dunmore was arraigned in state Superior Court on Friday and his bail was set at $1 million, Raymond said. Additional charges against Dunmore are expected, according to Raymond.
Zimmerman, 32, lived in Gloucester Township. He enlisted in the state police on March 14, 2001, and served in several southern New Jersey stations, most recently at Buena Vista. Zimmerman is survived by his wife, his mother and a sister.