BURLINGTON, Mass. — Three New Hampshire men were arrested Dec. 10 are suspected to be connected to several jewelry store robberies in the Massachusetts and New Hampshire areas.
Frederick Cote, 26, of Manchester, NH, was charged with armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon; Brian Hurton, 25, of Manchester, was charged with with armed robbery; Michael Taliadoros, 22, of Derry, NH, was charged with armed robbery.
According to a police narrative, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 10, Detective Thomas Carlson was conducting an area check 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 at the Zales jewelry store in the Burlington Mall on Dec. 9.
While on patrol, 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 Hurton and Taliadoros, that was 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.
Because officers were notified 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 entered 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.
Police believe the three men may be connected to jewelry store robberies in several other communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and additional charges may be pending. They were held pending arraignment at Woburn District Court.
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