Sanford, N.C. — Sanford police on Tuesday arrested two men, including a convicted sex offender, in connection with a string of bank and convenience-store robberies over the summer.

Gabriel Elijah Martin, 19, of 383 Kittery Point in Sanford, and Ryan Dean Thurlow, 22, of 151 Lynn St. in Spring Lake, were charged in four incidents:

• robbery of a Kangaroo convenience store, 1130 N. Horner Blvd., on July 29
• attempted robbery of a Kangaroo convenience store, 1007 Spring Lane on Aug. 11
• robbery of a Kangaroo convenience store, 4470 N.C. Highway 87, on Aug. 11
• robbery of the Capital Bank, 2800 Williams St., on Aug. 27

Martin and Thurlow both face three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon. Thurlow was given a $250,000 secured bond, and Martin a $500,030 secured bond.

Martin was also charged with four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felony and served with outstanding warrants for probation violations.

State Department of Correction records show that he was serving two concurrent sentences of probation for 2009 felony indecent liberties with a child and misdemeanor drug convictions. The victim was 12 and Martin was 17 at the time of the offense, according to the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry.