Gunman sought in armed robbery LONG BRANCH — The owner of a convenience store on Liberty Street and one of the store’s employees were held up at gunpoint last week during a robbery. On Jan. 3 at approximately 6:40 a.m., members of the Long Branch Police Department responded to the Welsh Farms convenience store after receiving a report of a robbery that had just taken place, according to Detective Sgt. Fernando Sanders. According to the store owner, the store opened at 6 a.m. and at around 6:30 a.m. a black male entered the store and pointed a handgun directly at him and a female employee and demanded money. The accused is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 175 pounds. The suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket and a black ski mask on his face, according to Sanders. The suspect fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash, and the owner and employee were unharmed in the incident, according to police. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the Long Branch Police Department Criminal Investigation Unit at (732) 222-8017 or (732) 222-1000. — Christine Varno