Two Island men accused of robbing a 79-year-old employee of the Capawock theatre in Vineyard Haven while he was dropping off receipts for the evening in a nearby overnight bank deposit box were indicted by a Dukes County grand jury last week and were arraigned in Dukes County Superior Court.

Michael Ellis, 20, of Edgartown, and Brett Geddis, 18, of Tisbury, both entered pleas of not guilty before the Hon. John C. Cratsley, an associate justice of the superior court. Both are charged with unarmed robbery of a person age 60 or older as well as assault and battery.

Both are suspected of robbing the theatre’s ticker-taker George Buckley on the evening of Sept. 30.

Judge Cratsley ordered that Mr. Ellis be held on $20,000 bail, and Mr. Geddis be held on $10,000 bail. The two men originally faced charges in Edgartown district court but the case was transferred to superior court after a grand jury indicted them last Thursday.

According to police, Mr. Buckley was robbed by two young males as he approached the night deposit box at the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank branch on Main street, about two blocks from the theatre. Mr. Buckley was not harmed during the robbery, although the incident sparked outrage on the Island. Mr. Buckley is a former police officer and school crossing guard.

Both Mr. Ellis and Mr. Geddis have extensive criminal records on the Island. Both were returned to the Edgartown house of correction after their court appearance last Friday.