Police charged one male with robbery in the first degree in connection with two reported robberies that occurred on West Campus last week. The name of the defendant has not been released because of his age, according to a statement released by the Ithaca Police Department.
On Feb. 20, two people were robbed at knife-point in two separate incidences. The crimes took place within 550 yards of each other and three minutes apart — the first occurring at 9:55 p.m. and the second at 9:58 p.m. — according to a police report. In both occurrences, the victims described the suspect as a “tall, thin, white male in his late teens.” After fleeing the scene of the first crime, the robber headed toward the Ithaca City Cemetery — located a block from Linn St. and University Ave, where the second robbery reportedly took place.
Police received information identifying a single possible suspect for both robberies and met with the victims on Feb. 24. Although the victims’ initial descriptions of the suspects differed — the first recalled a 5’10” man in a “gray hoodie” and the second described a 6’4” male with a “black coat and a rag on his head” — investigators reported that they had identified the same suspect for the two crimes.
Investigators are currently working with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office to determine whether or not more charges will be filed in this case, according to the IPD. Further details were not available Thursday due to ongoing investigation.
Original Author: Kaitlyn Kwan