A Dollar Tree store employee was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash during an armed robbery that occurred at 9:20 p.m. May 29 as he left the Brunswick Pike store with a bank deposit bag in his possession, police said.
The victim told police he heard someone approach him from the rear as he headed for his car. He turned around and saw a man, who pushed him up against the building, police said. The thief struck the victim several times on the side of the head, and demanded money, police said.
The man held a small handgun to the victim’s head, and then grabbed the money bag and fled toward the rear of Hamilton Jewelers, police said. A search of the area by police did not turn up the man, but they said they discovered a set of footprints that led toward Huron Way.
The victim suffered some scratches on both arms as a result of being pushed against the brick wall, but he did not suffer any head injuries, police said. He described the assailant as a black male, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, dressed in black —including a black ski mask. He was carrying a small black handgun, police said.
Michael P. Dougherty, 18, of East Windsor, was charged with shoplifting three bottles of perfume and a pair of women’s sunglasses, worth a combined $283.50, from Lord & Taylor at the Quaker Bridge Mall at 6:50 p.m. May 27, police said. He was issued a summons and released.
A Nextel cell phone was reported stolen from an unlocked 2007 GMC Yukon while it was parked in the victim’s driveway on Barnett Road between 3 p.m. May 25 and 7:45 a.m. May 26, police said. The cell phone was valued at $150.
Police are searching for the burglar who got inside a Canal View Drive house, and may have failed to gain entry to another house on the same street Wednesday night, according to police Lt. Charles B. Edgar.
The incidents occurred between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Edgar said. One homeowner reported that an assortment of items, including jewelry, was taken from the house. The burglar entered the house through a rear window on the first floor.
In the second incident, the resident returned home and found a first-floor window on the side of the house had been opened, Lt. Edgar said. The burglar did not enter the house, however, and nothing was reported missing.
“Citizens should keep their windows closed and locked when they are not home, especially windows on the first floor,” Lt. Edgar said. “Citizens should report any suspicious persons, vehicles or other suspicious circumstances to the Police Department 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Lt. Edgar said information provided by citizens could help police solve crimes.
The Canal View Drive incidents are being investigated by Detective Sharon Micinski and Officers Marc Caponi and Michael Whitmore. Anyone who may have seen suspicious people or vehicles in the area of Canal View Drive or the Yorkshire Village development Wednesday night should contact the Police Department at 609-896-1111.
