Easton Man Convicted of Multiple Armed Robberies
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
June 29, 2016
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced that a 25-year-old Easton man who robbed two separate Easton stores and attempted to rob a third was sentenced to serve three years in state prison last week.
Thomas Riley submitted an “unagreed plea” before Judge Raymond Veary in Fall River Superior Court on Thursday. He was charged with two counts of armed & masked robbery and attempted armed & masked robbery. Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Morrissette argued for five to seven years in state prison for the armed and masked robbery and a four to five year sentence on the attempted armed and masked robbery based on the facts of the case. The defendant requested a two years state prison sentence with a two year probationary period in this case. Judge Veary sentenced Mr. Riley to serve three years in state prison. Judge Veary also placed the defendant on supervised probation for two years, which will commence upon his release from prison.
On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 9:04pm, a male dressed in all dark clothing with a ski mask entered the Dunkin Donuts on Washington Street in Easton. The man handed the clerk a note saying “I have a gun, give me the money.” The male did not say anything but used the note and hand signals. The victim described the suspect as being a 5’10” tall white male, which could be seen through the opening of the ski mask near his eyes. The victim put approximately $100 in a brown paper Dunkin Donuts bag and the male grabbed the bag and ran out of the store. Surveillance video showed the suspect wearing gloves.
The next day, January 14, 2015 at 2:14pm, a white male, 5’10 to 6’ tall, around 18-20, wearing a dark ski jacket, dark running pants, baseball cap, and a black ski mask entered Piezoni’s on Robert Drive in Easton. The male handed the victim a note saying “Empty the Drawers, I have a Gun, Don’t **** Around.” The victim handed the male an estimated $200 out of the first cash register. The male demanded that two additional cash registers be opened, but the victim stated he did not have the key. The male ran out of the store and down an embankment onto Route 106. The victim ran after him and saw a blue Volvo S40 but could not confirm if the Volvo was involved in the robbery.
Approximately eight hours later at 10:15pm, a white male entered the White Rose Pantry on Turnpike Street in Easton. The male wore a dark colored ski mask and showed the clerk a note that said “Give me the money I have a gun.” The clerk observed the male was white by the openings in the ski mask near the eyes. The clerk laughed at him and called for help. The male became agitated and pointed at the cash register saying “Give me the money.” When the clerk refused to open the register and the male fled the store with no money.
Police noted the description of the male matched the description from the robberies at Dunkin Donuts and Piezoni’s. An officer then observed a blue Volvo driving in a nearby parking lot with its lights off. When the officer pulled his cruiser into the lot, the blue Volvo put its lights on and came to a stop at the gas station in the lot. Police stopped the vehicle and located a black baseball hat and a pile of black clothing pushed partially under defendant’s seat. Defendant handed the police the pile of black clothing, which was a black hooded sweatshirt and a black knitted scarf. No weapons were recovered in the vehicle. Police located black knitted gloves inside the front passenger compartment and another glove on the floor where defendant had been sitting. Police examined the black hooded sweatshirt and found a white piece of paper in the pocket. The paper was a bank envelope with handwritten words that stated “I have a Gun, Empty the Register, Do Not **** Around.”
Mr. Riley then stated he was having a difficult time with heroin and admitted to doing the robberies to support his habit. Defendant stated that when he saw the police cruiser pull behind his car, he had just finished putting all of his dark clothing on because he intended to rob the Mutual Gas Station after failing to get any money at the White Rose Pantry. The defendant stated that he quickly took off the dark clothing when he saw the cruiser and that he tore up the note used at the White Rose Pantry. The note recovered by the police the defendant had created to use at the Mutual Gas Station.
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell