Man who stole sandwiches charged with robbery after resisting security www.privateofficer.com
Middletown CT Feb 15 2012 A Haddam man is facing robbery and assault charges after Middletown Police say he stole sandwiches from a supermarket then attacked the security guard who stopped him on the way out.
On Feb. 11 at 4:15 p.m., Matthew W. Rourke, 43, of Weiss Road, Haddam, was at Stop & Shop on East Main Street when a loss prevention called police for a shoplifter fighting with him. The employee told police Rourke took four sandwiches valued at $20.96 and left the store without paying. When confronted, Rourke pushed the man and grabbed his neck to escape.
A store employee who was not working saw the struggle and parked in front of the man’s car to block it and Rourke dropped the sandwiches, the report says. At headquarters he told officers he stole them because he was hungry and didn’t have money; when he left the store a security officer put him in a headlock and punched him in the face, saying, “you’re coming with me.”
Police say his criminal history includes a Dec. 12, 2011, third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and third-degree strangulation; and a Feb. 8 arrest for possession of narcotics and in a school zone and drug paraphernalia.
