Partial plates aid police in arrests of bank robbery, home burglary suspects

Assistance from a FedEx driver and a Green Street neighbor both giving police a description of partial vehicle license plates helped Canton police make two separate arrests following a bank robbery and an attempted home break-in last week.

With the vehicle information and a composite of the bank robbery suspect, a combination of Stoughton, Milton, and Canton police along with the FBI were waiting for the suspect as he attempted to rob the Webster Bank at the Stop & Shop Plaza in Stoughton on Friday morning, November 2. Police arrested Lucas Gravina, 29, of Hull, outside the bank and charged him with two counts of unarmed robbery. He is being held on $300,000 bail at the Dedham House of Correction.

Canton Deputy Chief Helena Findlen said the break in the case came when a Federal Express truck driver noticed a vehicle driving erratically from the Bank of Canton on 259 Turnpike Street shortly after 1:35 p.m. on October 25. The plate information allowed police to conduct a surveillance of Gravina, and police followed him to the Stoughton bank on November 2. Findlen said he was wearing the same clothes he allegedly wore during the Bank of Canton robbery. Findlen praised the entire Canton detectives bureau for doing “awesome police work and a tremendous amount of legwork” in the investigation.

In the Green Street burglary on October 30 at 12:55 p.m., an alarm had gone off in the home and a neighbor spotted a vehicle quickly exiting the driveway. Officer Glen Nix took the partial plate and the make of the vehicle and spotted it exiting Route 93. He arrested Daniel Mahoney, 27, of Weymouth, and charged him with breaking and entering in the daytime (felony). Findlen also praised Officer Nix for excellent follow-up in the investigation. Nothing was taken from the home.

In other police news, quick response by officers Jonathan McCourt and Bob Schneiders to a report of youths gathering outside the Armando Recreation Center on Pleasant Street led to the summons of Jonathan Spelfogel, 18, of Stoughton. Police responded to the call on Halloween night at 8:51 p.m. Spelfogel will be summoned to court to face a charge of malicious destruction of property for driving his vehicle on the grass and causing damage.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Nov 7 2012. Filed under News, Police & Fire. Both comments and pings are currently closed.