Published: June 07, 2008 05:00 am ShareThisPrintThis Citizens help lead Ipswich police to robbery suspect By Mike Stucka Staff writer
IPSWICH — A Newbury man was arrested yesterday minutes after he allegedly acted as if he had a gun, ordered a pharmacist to lie down, then ran off with dozens of bottles of pain pills. David J. Crisafulli, 47, was arrested about 15 minutes after the 11:18 a.m. robbery at the Ipswich Rite Aid on Central Street, Ipswich police Sgt. Thomas Colpitts said. Police said Crisafulli went to the prescription counter in the store and threatened the pharmacist. "He motioned under his garment like he had a weapon," Colpitts said, but no weapon was found. "... He ordered the pharmacist onto the ground. He then jumped onto the counter and took approximately 25 bottles of assorted prescription drugs." The drugs taken included pain pills popular with addicts, including OxyContin, Colpitts said. They came from three trays in a locker, police said in a statement. Citizens saw the robbery and Crisafulli leaving the store toward Lords Square; one witness had even seen him walking around the area an hour earlier. "With the help of several witnesses who watched him run off, we were able to track him onto High Street, and he was arrested in the woods at High Street," Colpitts said. "It was good work (by) the police and good work by the citizens of Ipswich." Crisafulli, of 88 High Road, Newbury, was charged with unarmed robbery and two counts of threatening to commit a crime. The case remains under investigation. He was held on $50,000 cash bail at Middleton Jail pending his arraignment in Ipswich District Court on Monday morning. Neither the pharmacist nor anyone else was hurt in the robbery. Officers aiding in the arrest included Colpitts, Chief Gavin Keenan, and Patrolmen Daniel Kmiec, James Zabelski and Guy Saulnier. Other officers involved in the case included Lt. Dan Moriarty, Detective Peter Dziadosz, Sgt. Justin Daly and Patrolman Eric Copithorne. Colpitts declined to identify the witnesses but said they were instrumental in quickly arresting the suspect. "I give a lot of credit to the witnesses who came forward," Colpitts said.
Posted by: DeputyFife
Thief robbed of clean getaway
By Wendall Waters/wwaters@cnc.com
Wed Jun 11, 2008, 03:03 PM EDT
Ipswich - A thief was robbed of his clean getaway last Friday by the sharp eyes of a local resident. When police received a call that the Rite-Aid Pharmacy at 114 Central St. had been robbed, they immediately responded to the scene. In the meantime, however, a witness had been doing some detective work of his own and was able to lead police right to the suspect. Police collared David J. Crisafulli, 47, of Arlington, in a wooded area near Highland Cemetery and charged him with unarmed robbery and two counts of threatening a crime (to do bodily harm). Crisafulli allegedly walked into Rite-Aid, pretended he had a weapon underneath his clothing and demanded drugs from the pharmacist. He stole three trays of narcotics and ran off towards the Lord Square area. A witness, who requested that his name not be used, was going into the Sovereign Bank next to Rite-Aid when he noticed a man with a backpack lurking around the side of the building. “I had noticed this fellow out by the delivery door at Rite-Aid acting suspiciously,” he said. The witness watched as the man left the pharmacy, walked towards Lord Square, circled the area and then came back. “It was just very bizarre,” he said. The witness did his banking and when he came out, the suspect was hurrying towards Lord Square again. So, he followed the suspect, who went into a wooded area off High Street near the Highland Cemetery. He then went back, got his car, and drove up to the cemetery. When the suspect saw him, he tried to hide behind a tree. The witness then called police and gave them the location of the suspect. Police found Crisafulli hiding under some boards. He was in possession of the stolen narcotics. This witness said he was very impressed with how Police Chief Gavin Keenan and the other arresting officers handled the situation. They were very professional, he said. When they pulled this guy off the ground,” he said, “they treated him respectfully.” And, as they escorted the witness down the steep hill to the cruiser, they made sure he didn’t fall. This is the second time a local resident has helped Ipswich Police catch suspected criminals. On June 2, a resident in the area of Old Right Road made a call to police that resulted in the arrest of a suspected cocaine dealer. After that incident, Keenan had said, “It doesn’t work if you don’t call,” reminding citizens that if they see anything strange they should notify police immediately.
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