Bond Dropped From $150K To Zero In Middletown Strong-Arm Robbery Case

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Two juveniles and an 18-year-old are facing several charges in connection with a strong-arm robbery in Middletown, police said.

According to an arraignment affidavit, at 4:22 p.m. on April 23, Middletown police responded to the 100 block of Main Street for an active robbery. The caller reported that three men wearing masks had fled the area on foot, traveling south on Main Street along the east side sidewalk.

Officers quickly located a the 15-year-old victim on Union Street, but, at first, the boy did not wish to provide details on the incident because he knew who the suspects were and was fearful of retaliation, according to an arraignment affidavit. The boy had been "punched, assaulted, knocked to the ground, and forcefully had his wallet and keys stolen from him by the suspects before they fled the scene," according to an arraignment affidavit.

Officers is did help the boy locate his wallet and keys, which had discarded by the suspects after they took $75 out of the wallet, according to an arraignment affidavit.

One of the suspects had sent him an image of them via Snapchat after the robbery, according to an arraignment affidavit. That and other information later obtained from the 15-year-old assisted police in identifying and locating the suspects, according to an arraignment affidavit.

Officers also located video footage of all three suspects fleeing the area after the robbery, according to an arraignment affidavit. The footage showed the three teens fleeing south on Main Street, where they turned left and traveled east on Union Street, according to an arraignment affidavit. The suspects are seen in the parking lot of 99 Union Street where they cut through a pathway leading to MacDonough Place, according to an arraignment affidavit. The video also shows the suspects removing their masks and one of them removing his sweat shirt in an attempt to change their appearance and elude capture, according to an arraignment affidavit.

The images were sent by investigators to other Middletown officers, who identified all three
suspects in the robbery, who had previous interactions with them, according to an arraignment affidavit. All three were "known to law enforcement, according to an arraignment affidavit.

According to judicial system records, Jaun Baldwin, 18, was charged as an adult with second-degree robbery, risk of injury to a child, second-degree larceny, third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace, all with corresponding charges.

Baldwin was initially held on a $150,000 bond, but that was reduced to a promise to appear in court again on May 5, judicial system records show.

The other two were referred to juvenile authorities.