Two 18-year-old men were charged in connection with an armed robbery of Dairy Queen on North Bridge Avenue on April 4.

The Freeborn County Attorney’s Office charged Sean Ernest Stenzel of New Richland with first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree assault, and Jason Richard Farris of Albert Lea with aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery.

According to the criminal complaint, Stenzel went into the restaurant with a gun, wearing an orange mask. He pointed a gun at two employees and ordered them to get down on their hands and knees. And then he commanded one of the employees to tie the other up with duct tape.

Stenzel demanded the employee open a petty-cash safe in the back of the store and three registers in the front, and told her to put money into a bag he brought. The employees told the investigators that the amount of the cash was between $900 and $1,000.

After tying up the second employee, Stenzel told them to stay down otherwise someone in the parking lot would shoot them, according to the complaint.

Farris said to the investigators that he thought Stenzel was joking at the beginning. And he refused to get paid for being the driver after the robbery. But Stenzel bought things for Farris, police said. Stenzel told Farris that he got more than $1,000 and would buy drugs with it.

Prior to the crime, Stenzel and Farris went to Wal-Mart and purchased some items including the duct tape, police said.

Stenzel has been denying any involvement in the crime, according to the investigation.