Two people have been charged in connection with two armed robberies that occurred Sunday morning, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release early Monday.

Blanca Garcia Alejandre and Juan Alonso remain in the Rowan County jail.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office reported that Sunday at 6:30 a.m. they responded to 5520 Sherrills Ford Road to investigate a report of a car being stolen at gunpoint. The victim, Todd Motley, spoke to deputies at his Grayson Drive home and said that he was on his way to work Sunday morning when a young woman flagged him down as she was standing in the parking lot of Graham’s Grill.

Motley said the woman told him she was driving to see her baby when she began experiencing car trouble. Motley told deputies he offered the woman a ride to her West Innes Street home and she accepted.

After she got into the car, Motley told deputies, he looked around and saw a man wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and a black ski mask standing at the driver’s side window. Motley said the man was armed with a pump shotgun. Motley said he was ordered to get out of the driver’s seat and climb into the back seat of his 2012 Dodge Ram Pickup. Motley complied. The man reportedly went around to the back of the truck, and seeing a chance, Motley got out of the truck and ran, seeking cover in a nearby field. He told deputies that he heard wheels spinning and realized he was not being chased. He ran back to his home and called 911.

Motley’s pickup truck is valued at $20,000.

While deputies were investigating, they received reports of an attempted armed robbery in the 200 block of Stanwyck Road. The victim, Edward Church, said he heard a knock at his door. When he answered, he saw a woman standing on his porch. Church said that as he was asking the woman if he could help her, a man wearing a dark sweatshirt and black ski mask confronted him and aimed a pump shotgun at him. Church told deputies that he began yelling and backed up into his house, and as he did so, the pair took off running.

While investigating the attempted robbery, the 911 center advised that Motley’s 2012 Dodge Ram Pickup had been located on Spicewood Lane. When deputies arrived, they saw the pickup sitting partially in the roadway, on the wrong side of the road with the engine running. A tow truck was called to move the vehicle so it could be processed for evidence.

The truck was towed at 8:45 a.m., and soon after deputies were sent to the 3000 block of Sherrills Ford Road to check reports of a woman hiding behind vehicles. The woman matched the description of the female suspect in that morning’s crimes and was taken into custody, where she was positively identified by both victims.

According to the release, the woman initially gave deputies a false name and date of birth, but after being interviewed by investigators, she provided her name and age as Blanca Garcia Alejandre, 19.

At about 8 p.m., a homeowner on Ferrell Lane reported that there was a man sleeping under his trailer. Deputies discovered a wallet belonging to Todd Motley, containing his driver’s license and credit cards, in the man’s back pocket. Deputies also found a pocket knife taken from Motley’s truck on the suspect. The man was identified as Juan Alonso.

Alejandre was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny of a motor vehicle, second degree kidnapping and resisting a public officer for the crimes involving Motley. She was charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon for the crime involving Church. Alejandre was given a total bond of $125,000 and placed in the Rowan County Detention Center.

Juan Alonso was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny of a motor vehicle and second degree kidnapping for the crimes involving Motley. He was given a $350,000 bond and placed in the Rowan County Detention Center.