Three Men Arrested in Connection With String of Jewelry Store Robberies

Photo Credit: Burlington Police Department/From left to right: Fredrick Cote, Brian Hurton, Michael Taliadoros.

BURLINGTON, MA - Police arrested three New Hampshire men on Thursday night in connection with a string of recent jewelry store robberies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, shortly after the trio had allegedly robbed another jewelry store in Burlington, Mass.

Authorities arrested:

Frederick Cote, 26, of Manchester, N.H., arrested for armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Brian Hurton, 25, of Manchester, N.H., arrested for armed robbery.

Michael Taliadoros, 22, of Derry, N.H., arrested for armed robbery.

Burlington Police Chief Michael Kent provided the following account of the incidents that led to the arrests of the three men:

Detective Thomas Carlson was conducting an area check around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, near Long’s Jewelers on South Avenue in response to an earlier report of suspicious people in the store.

Several jewelry thefts have occurred in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including one on Dec. 9 at the Zales jewelry store in the Burlington Mall on Dec. 9.

Detective Carlson observed a man fitting the description of a suspect connected to numerous jewelry thefts in the region sprinting from the area of Long’s Jewelers. Within minutes, he also received a call from dispatch advising that an armed robbery had just occurred at the store.

The suspect, later identified as Cote, got into a vehicle, occupied by the Huron and Taliadoros. The vehicle had been waiting in the parking lot of the Border Cafe on Middlesex Turnpike.

Detective Carlson followed it until he was met by backup cruisers who initiated a traffic stop.

The three men were taken into custody without incident.

Following a search of the suspects and the vehicle, officers recovered a gold Rolex watch valued more than $34,000, which was identified as the watch stolen from Long’s Jewelers. Police also found additional jewelry that matched the items stolen from Zales on Dec. 9.

Officers had been told that Cote had discarded his weapon in the bushes in the Border Cafe parking lot.

Billerica K-9 Officer Mark Tsoukalas and his partner Yak responded to the parking lot in the area where Cote had got into the waiting vehicle. Within moments, Yak located the weapon, a black BB gun with silver accents designed to look like a real pistol, in a nearby bush.

“I am extremely proud of the outstanding teamwork and police work by the officers involved in this case,” Chief Kent said in a statement. “This is a fine example of the Burlington Police Department taking a proactive approach with our community business partners in an effort to deter criminal activity. Thanks to this method, we were able to catch these suspects and recover the items stolen from several businesses.”

These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.