RANDOLPH – Chief William Pace reports that the Randolph Police Department has arrested and charged a man with robbing a convenience store twice at gunpoint in the past month.
As a result of a diligent investigation by Randolph Police Detectives, MARK STOKES, AGE 51 OF ROXBURY has been arrested and charged with two counts of Armed Robbery.
Police responded at 9:44 p.m. April 1 to the Seasons Market on North Main Street for a a reported robbery. Upon arrival, police learned that a male wearing black and white sneakers, a heavy two-tone jacket entered the store, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money and cigarettes from the clerk.
Then on Friday, April 12 at 2:20 a.m., the market/gas station was robbed again. This time, a similar looking suspect entered the store while the clerk was outside. The suspect tried to open the cash registered, but inadvertently turned off the gas pumps. The clerk entered the store, and the suspect pointed a gun at him and demanded the clerk open the register. The suspect fled both robberies with cash and Newport cigarettes.
The suspect, however, left his fingerprint on the button to shut off the pumps.
Detective David Clark processed the scene and working with the Boston Police Department, he were able to identify STOKES as the suspect.
Randolph Police soon learned that STOKES himself was the victim of an assault and a battery in Boston less than two hours after the robbery, in which his vehicle was shot multiple times. Police responding to the incident found a black pellet gun in STOKES’S vehicle. The bore of the gun was widened to make it appear more realistic.
After obtaining a search warrant for his Boston residence, detectives located the clothing allegedly used in both robberies. STOKES’S vehicle also matched one seen leaving the vicinity of the second robbery, and a man, allegedly STOKES was seen on surveillance footage entering the lobby of a nearby hotel shortly after the robbery. A Randoph Police K-9 also traced the suspect’s scent from the market to the hotel.
STOKES is being held on $15,000 cash bail at the Randolph Police Department, pending arraignment next week at Quincy District Court.
STOKES is known to police.
Chief Pace praised the work of Randolph Police Detectives, including Detective Clark, for their hard work on this case.
“This was a challenging case, involving a dangerous suspect pointing a weapon at hard-working people in our community, and I am pleased that the suspect has been identified and arrested,” Chief Pace said. “This case speaks to the professionalism of our investigators, who have a keen eye for detail and are trained to use all possible resources at their disposal in the furtherance of justice.”
These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty
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