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BARRY, ILL. -- Two Colorado men were arrested early Sunday morning for the robbery of the Barry Travel Plaza in Pike County, Illinois.

The Pike County Sheriff's Department say James D. Nolf-Crihfielt, 21 and Jeffery R. Skog, 23 both of Ft. Collins, Colorado walked into the Barry Travel Plaza at 2:47 a.m., Sunday and demanded the cashier to draw money from the register to keep from being physically harmed.  One subject was armed with a screw driver and the other armed with a three-foot metal wire rod.

After the two subjects fled with over $300, the cashier called 911 and provided the police with enough information to be on the lookout for a dark colored sedan heading east on I-72.

Officers stopped a vehicle matching that description at 2:56 a.m. at the Griggsville exit. When stopped, the driver and front seat passenger also matched the description provided by the cashier.

Officers say they seized $353 from one of the subjects, which is believed to have been the money stolen from the Barry Travel Plaza. Inside the vehicle they also recovered the weapons used in the crime which included the screw driver and wire.

Nolf-Crihfield and Skog were taken into custody and formally charged with robbery and theft. They are currently lodged in the Pike County Jail.

Following further investigation into the two subjects, it was determined two separate and similar armed robberies occurred in Idaho Springs, Colorado prior to the Labor Day weekend and in Lincoln, Nebraska on September 8th.  Both agencies were contacted by the Pike County Sheriff who is working to conclude the investigations.

Pike County Sheriff Paul F. Petty was quick to commend the cashier of the Barry Travel Plaza for recognizing and taking in as much information in the short period of time.

"This situation and example displayed by the cashier in this case was text book, Petty, said. "She was able to get some vital intelligence for law enforcement and managed to protect herself by cooperating. These two individuals departed Colorado three days ago headed to Florida.  It would be hard to say how many times this might have happened before someone got seriously hurt in the upcoming week during the suspects trip to Florida, but it is absolutely known that it won't now, because of a very smart cashier working the mid-night shift by herself."