Police looking into possible connection in pizza robberies

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — For the second time in a month, police are investigating the alleged armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver on Union Street, but will not say at this time whether the two incidents are connected. “I’m not going to say they are connected but they have some similarities,” said Lt. John Bernard. “We have been looking into them.” The first incident occurred Sept. 13, when Steven Tucker, 20, of 37 West Broadway, called police after allegedly being robbed at gunpoint while delivering a pizza to Union Street. Mr. Tucker was later arrested and charged with larceny over $250 after he confessed to stealing more than $900 from West Broadway Pizza’s cash box earlier that week. Sgt. Bibeau later said the police presented Mr. Tucker with “certain information,” that resulted in his confession to the crime. Following the alleged robbery, state troopers brought a canine unit to the scene and the police dog was unable to follow a scent toward Bickford Playground, the direction that Mr. Tucker allegedly said the robber had fled. The latest incident, which occurred at approximately 11:53 p.m. Friday, involved a woman who had been delivering pizza to 15 Union St. The woman called police and reported that she had been held at gunpoint and robbed. The woman involved, according to Sgt. Bibeau, stated that a man ordered food to be delivered to that address, and upon her arrival, the armed suspect involved confronted her in the building’s hallway. The woman involved described the suspect as possibly a white man, standing between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall and with a “tall, thin build.” The man wore dark clothes and a dark cap, the woman reported, as well as a dark bandana to cover his face. The woman was “ordered at gunpoint to hand over all her money,” according to Sgt. Bibeau, and was then ordered to leave the area. She was unharmed in the incident, according to the sergeant. Once again, Gardner police and the state police K-9 unit were called in and conducted an unsuccessful search of the area following the incident, according to Sgt. Bibeau. The matter currently remains under investigation, he said. According to Lt. Bernard, robberies involving delivery drivers remain uncommon. “These are the only two instances that I have knowledge of,” said Lt. Bernard. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 10/8/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 238)