Two Oneonta women face first-degree burglary charges after they allegedly broke into a woman's West Oneonta home and beat her, stomped on her glasses and stole her wallet.
Samantha M. Merritt and Stephanie G. Monroy, both 22, were arrested Monday night after a 24-year-old woman reported she was assaulted inside her apartment earlier in the day.
The woman said she heard a knock on the door of her apartment at 3882 State Route 23. When she went to answer the door, she found Merritt and Monroy already inside, according to her statement to state police on file in Oneonta Town Court.
Merritt demanded $40 she claimed was owed to her by the woman and then punched her in the face, according to the statement.
When the woman tried to call 911 from her cell phone, Merritt grabbed the phone away and Monroy took a wallet containing $300 in cash from a countertop, according to the alleged victim's statement.
Merritt and the alleged victim had worked together at a local convenience store, according to the statement.
The woman called police from a neighbor's cell phone, according to the neighbor's statement to troopers, which was also on file in town court.
A state police investigator familiar with the case was unavailable by phone for comment Tuesday night.
The woman suffered swelling to her face and abrasions on her back, according to court records.
Merritt and Monroy left in a sport-utility vehicle bearing New Hampshire plates, according to the alleged victim's statement. They were later caught by police.
The women were arraigned in Oneonta Town Court and sent to Otsego County jail on $4,000 bail/$8,000 bond to await a felony hearing at 3 p.m. Thursday.
First-degree burglary is a class B felony punishable by a sentence of five-to-25 years in prison.
