|
Authorities: Litchfield Couple Robs Naugatuck Bank, Admit Using Disguises To Trick Police
NAUGATUCK, Feb 12, 2012 (The Hartford Courant - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A Litchfield pair, charged in connection with the robbery of aPeople's Bankbranch at the Mountview Plaza Saturday afternoon, allegedly used disguises and diversion tactics to veer officers from their trail, according to police officials.
Joshua Habib, 25, and Brianna McCarthy, 22, were arrested around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, approximately one hour after the robbery took place, said police spokesman Lt. Robert Harrison. They were arrested in the parking lot of a home they share at 125 Hunter Drive in Litchfield.
Both are charged with third-degree conspiracy at robbery and third-degree conspiracy at larceny. Habib is also accused of falsely reporting an incident, which McCarthy faces an additional charge of third-degree robbery and third-degree larceny.
They were each held with bail set at $150,000 and are scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Waterbury on Tuesday.
Harrison said McCarthy, who had donned a red wig during the robbery attempt, was seen getting out of a silver Saturn and entering a Stop & Shop at the Mountview Plaza, 727 Rubber Ave., around 2:45 p.m. She approached the teller at the People's Bank inside the store, demanded money and made away with a small amount of money before leaving in the same silver Saturn, police said.
Prior to the robbery, Harrison said a report of an attempted abduction was called in to police.
The caller, later identified as Habib, said he had seen a man with a gun trying to "grab a female" near Ward Street, Harrison said. Then the caller abruptly hung up the phone.
En route to the reported abduction, police said they were notified of another incident called in by someone at the Stop & Shop. Witnesses said they had seen a strange vehicle -- a silver Saturn with California license plates -- outside the grocery store and provided a detailed description of the man and woman seen inside it, Harrison said.
Police in the area were notified of the incident and asked to be on the lookout for the couple.
An off-duty Naugatuck police officer overheard the radio broadcast while parked in his personal car near Allerton Road. Harrison said the wanted vehicle -- now with Connecticut license plates -- sped past Officer Peter Bosco, who started driving after it.
Once caught, Habib confessed to police that he had placed the phony call in an attempt to divert police from the area, Harrison said. The couple led officers to an undisclosed location, where police said they found their disguises -- a red wig and California license plates.
___ (c)2012 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) Visit The Hartford Courant
(Hartford, Conn.) at www.courant.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
