Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

Police: Woman set up boyfriend

Police: Woman set up boyfriend

A New Jersey woman is wanted on charges that she conspired with another man to rob her boyfriend of a large sum of cash last year at an East Lampeter Township motel.

The 25-year-old victim, also from New Jersey, was pistol-whipped during the attempted robbery and jumped from a third-story window to escape. He suffered serious injuries.

East Lampeter Township police said Wednesday that Ashley Cenneno, 21, of Paulsboro, and Michael Falls, 30, of Mays Landing, N.J., planned the Dec. 3 attack.

Falls was arrested without incident Monday in Atlantic County, N.J. He has been charged with aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.

Investigators said he "bludgeoned" the victim with a handgun during the incident.

Cenneno is wanted on a conspiracy to commit robbery charge and remains at large, according to police.

Authorities initially were concerned for the well-being of Cenneno, who had rented the room at the Super 8 Motel, 2129 Lincoln Highway East.

Police were called to the motel around 8:20 p.m. for a report of a man who fell from a window, but could find no sign of her.

"All we knew was that there was a robbery and now she was gone. At that point she was a potential victim," East Lampeter Township police Lt. Robin Weaver said.

Cenneno was considered a missing person but police later learned she was back in New Jersey and was OK.

As the investigation progressed, her involvement became apparent, Weaver said. He said police believe Cenneno is still in New Jersey.

Weaver said it was unclear why she and the victim were in the Lancaster area or why the victim had a large sum of cash, the amount of which Weaver declined to disclose.

He said he didn't know the nature of the relationship between Cenneno and Falls. Falls and the victim didn't know one another, according to Weaver.

Police said the victim, who suffered injuries both from the assault and from jumping from the window, spent a week in Lancaster General Hospital after the incident.

Although he couldn't provide details of the man's injuries, Weaver said the victim is expected to fully recover.

jtodd@lnpnews.com

nVictim jumped from third-floor window of East Lampeter motel to escape robbery attempt.