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Hector Rodriguez stole more than $40,000 in cash, cigarettes and lotto tickets from six locations in less than a year during 2015 and 2016.
By Forum Staff
A Queens County grand jury indicted a Staten Island man on burglary, grand larceny and other charges for allegedly breaking into six commercial locations and stealing approximately $40,000 in cash, lottery tickets and cigarettes between October 2015 and August 2016.
The defendant is identified as Hector Rodriguez, 38, of Jersey Street in the New Brighton section of Staten Island. He was arraigned late yesterday on a 15-count indictment charging him with five counts of third-degree burglary, one count of petit larceny, four counts of third-degree grand larceny, four counts of third-degree criminal mischief and one count of third-degree attempted burglary. Bail was set at $100,000 and the defendant was ordered to return to court on March 8, 2017.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez broke into six different commercial locations between October 8, 2015, and September 15, 2016, by either cutting a hole in the roof or tearing a hole in a back wall of the building. The defendant is accused of breaking into establishments in Queens Village, Woodside, Jackson Heights, North Corona and Jamaica. In all but one of the break-ins, the defendant is alleged to have entered the location and taken cash and, in some instances, lottery tickets and/or cartons of cigarettes.
According to the charges, added District Attorney Brown, the defendant was allegedly observed on video surveillance in each of the break-ins wearing a hoodie sweatshirt and sneakers and carrying both a crowbar and flashlight.
