nothin There Was More To The Story | New Haven Independent

There Was More To The Story

A call to police from the Regal Inn motel started the cops on the trail of a story with unexpected twists — and an arrest.

Police spokesman Officer David Hartman tells the story in the release reproduced below:

On Wednesday, 6 April, 2016, a man and his girlfriend had unknowingly set themselves up to be robbed.

Twenty-seven year old William and his nineteen year old girlfriend, Melissa had just checked in to their room at the Regal Inn – a motel on the west end of town that is frequently inhabited by impermanent residents and very short-term visitors.

At about nine o’clock in the evening, Officer Joshua Castellano was called there regarding a reported armed robbery. He was let in to the second floor room and saw Melissa gathering items from the floor and placing them into a pile on the bed. She said the robbers had thrown their things about and she was collecting them.

Both William and Melissa looked shaken. They paced about the room and were speaking over one another. Officer Castellano told them to take a deep breath. He needed to broadcast the crook’s descriptions to the officers converging on the neighborhood.

William said there were two men. Both were black, thin and between twenty and twenty-five years old. One was taller… about five foot, ten inches. He had a black and silver pistol and was clad in all black clothing. His partner was shorter, also in all black and had facial hair. He said they fled in a gold colored sedan – possibly a Mercury. William said they were robbed of forty dollars and their room key.

With officers searching the area, William – now less excited, was able to describe what happened. He said he’d received a phone call from a number he didn’t recognize. The caller said he was J‑lin’s boy” and he was looking to score some marijuana.

William said he told the man to pick him up at the motel and he’d take him to his supplier at a downtown live music club named Stella Blues.

William said he saw the men drive up and get out of the car. He said he went inside and the men came in. He said the men became forceful with their questioning. They wanted to know where they’d be driving and how much weed they’d be able to buy. He said the taller of the two turned around and shut the door. When he turned back, he was holding a pistol and was pointing it at his face. William said the shorter man pushed Melissa to the bed and rummaged through her purse. The taller man went through William’s pockets. He took forty bucks, their room key and a backpack.

The perps fled with the cash. Neither William nor Melissa were hurt.

WHO’S J‑lin”?

Officer Castellano asked William how he thought the robbers got his number. At first he said he’d heard the name before at the bar. He later admitted he knew the man who went by that name. He said he was certain J‑lin” wasn’t one of the robbers.

There was a backstory somewhere. Castellano pressed William for more information. William told the officer he’d met the robbers before. He’d met them at a bus stop and had smoked pot with them on the Green. He swore he didn’t know their names but ventured a guess he’d given them his number.

A VIDEO IS WORTHTHOUSAND WORDS

Officer Castellano made the call to the Detective Bureau and went searching for cameras. He found several. The innkeeper helped him review the images. At 8:45, a gold colored sedan pulled up to the building. It had a sunroof, broken tail-lamp and a partially recognizable marker plate beginning with either 995’ or 999’ and ending in W’ or M’. At 8:46, two men got out and walked up to William and Melissa’s room. They were seen leaving at 8:49. The shorter man was carrying William’s backpack. At 8:50, a camera records the crooks leaving the property.

Officers Robert Ferraro and Michael Valente told Officer Castellano that they’d patrolled the motel lot earlier in their shift and that at about seven o’clock, had seen a similar car parked in the front.

As reported, at 7:01, the video showed the same car. It showed Ferraro and Valente’s cruiser drive past. It also showed the car pull out abruptly once the cruiser turned the corner to the rear lot.

The Officers added details to the wanted persons broadcast about the perps and set off to search for them.

THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY

When Detective John Pleckaitis interviewed William, he added a few details. The phone call he’d received was from someone looking to buy pot and some White Girl” – a street-name for cocaine. William said he’d agreed to sell the caller the small amount of coke he had on him and that his coke was also stolen during the robbery.

During the interview, William’s phone received a text from the same number. He showed it to the detective. It read, Too much cut on da coke”. William admitted he’d likely met the robbers several times before.

THE STOP

The next evening, Officer Christian Bruckhart was parked at Winthrop and Derby Avenues. He’d been at the robbery call the night before and knew the description of the car in question. By chance, a tan colored Buick with a broken tail lamp drove by. The marker plate began with 995 and ended in W’. He stopped the driver and detained him.

Knowing the robbery set-up was initiated by cell phone, [the driver’s] was seized. When Officer Castellano showed up, he found a Regal Inn room key in the car.

[The driver] wouldn’t talk but the next day during a formal statement interview at headquarters, William would. He identified [the driver] as one of the robbers.

A search warrant was obtained for [the driver’s] phone. Its record showed calls to William’s number. In it, William was named Wing”. There were multiple texts between [the driver’s] and William’s phones leading up to the time of the robbery. The last from [the driver’s] phone read, Too much cut on da coke”.

THE GRAB

On 22 April, 2016, Detective Pleckaitis’ Arrest Warrant was signed. He contacted NHPD Officer Ryan Pryzsbilski who is assigned to the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. [The driver] had three warrants now. Two others were for domestic violence crimes including violation of a protective order and unlawful restraint and another for third degree assault, disorderly conduct and threatening.

On 19 May, Officer Pryzsbilski and company found [the driver] at his girlfriend’s house.

After a few minutes knocking at the door, [the driver] surrendered and was taken into custody. Recovered from the home was a black and silver pistol. It was found unsecured, loaded and within a few feet of [the driver’s] girlfriend’s six-month-old daughter’s crib. [The driver], a convicted felon, was arrested and charged with robbery in the first degree, larceny in the second degree and conspiracy to commit both. Added to the warrant charges were criminal possession of a firearm and risk of injury to a child.

[The driver] denied committing any robbery. He admitted the gun was his. He hasn’t given up his alleged partner in crime.

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