HILLSBOROUGH: Man pleads guilt to theft, robbery

   A Hillsborough man plead guilty Tuesday to first-degree robbery and third-degree theft following his arrest April 18.
   Julian Moreno, 20, of Regents Court admitted he robbed the Philly Pretzel Factory store at 601 Route 206, threatening the clerk with an aluminum baseball bat, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano.
   His arrest and subsequent investigation led to Hillsborough detectives charging Mr. Moreno with the April 12 theft of $1,126 from the Boro Kid’s Zone on Stryker Lane. Police said Mr. Moreno came into the store that day to apply for a job and stole a bank deposit bag containing $1,126.
   Police said they received a call at 7:32 a.m. on April 18 from a Pretzel Factory clerk saying he had just been robbed. Police said that, as the employee was opening the store, Mr. Moreno entered the store wearing a mask and carrying a black-and-red duffel bag and red aluminum baseball bat.
   Once inside, Mr. Moreno threatened the employee with the bat and took $200 from the cash register, police said.
   At about 1 p.m. that day, Hillsborough detectives found Mr. Moreno in a vacant office suite at 450 Amwell Road. Police said they found the mask, duffel bag, a hand-drawn map of the Pretzel Factory store and drug paraphernalia.
   A plea agreement calls for Mr. Moreno to be sentenced to 10 years in state prison, with eight and one-half years to be served before he is eligible for parole.
   His sentencing is scheduled for July 1.