HOLYOKE, MA — A suspect wanted in connection with a jewelry theft at a Holyoke mall has been arrested in Florida on armed robbery charges.
Ricardo Cotto, 48, of Holyoke, was arrested March 20 in Volusia County, Florida, where he was charged with robbery with a firearm.
On Jan. 18, Holyoke police officers responded to the mall for a report of a larceny.
A suspect, later identified as Cotto, allegedly asked to look at several pieces of jewelry from a store, then stole the jewelry and fled the mall.
Approximately $30,000 worth of jewelry was stolen. Holyoke Police detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigation Bureau investigated and identified Cotto as a suspect.
Detectives applied for and were granted a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant was active at the time of Cotto’s arrest in Florida. Once Cotto’s charges are adjudicated in Florida, he can be extradited to Massachusetts to face charges.
Cotto is charged with robbery with a firearm, providing a false name and being a fugitive from justice on a court warrant from Holyoke District Court for larceny over $1,200.
Article by Daniel Duric of Newport Dispatch. Click HERE to view article.