Massachusetts man charged again with hypodermic needle armed robbery

A Bay State man accused last week of threatening to stick a CVS worker with a hypodermic needle during an alleged shoplifting incident was arraigned on Wednesday for reportedly doing the same thing at a Star Market the day before.

Robert Sullivan, 25, of Ipswich, who has a 32-page criminal record that stems back to 2013, was charged with armed robbery for the Star Market incident.

Boston police officers on July 27, at about 10:18 am, responded to a call for a larceny in progress at Star Market on 53 Huntington Ave.

An employee told officers that a man stole various meat products before fleeing the store. When the employee approached, the man allegedly pulled out a hypodermic needle and threatened to stab him.

“Store managers told officers that this was the second time the man had threatened employees with a needle while stealing meat products,” the Suffolk DA’s office said in a statement.

Detectives identified the man as Sullivan, and determined that he was the same person arrested for committing a similar offense at the CVS on Cambridge Street in Boston the next day.

Sullivan was charged with the Star Market offense on Wednesday while appearing for a scheduled pre-trial hearing connected to his CVS arraignment.

His 32-page criminal record includes offenses like false reporting, assault, assault and battery, leaving the scene of property damage, leaving the scene of an injured person, larceny and receiving stolen property.

Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden’s office has held meetings with regional retailer groups and small business owners to discuss safety concerns, and to help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies.

The meetings have come amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston.

“We share with retailers and consumers throughout the city the same desire for safe shopping spaces and safe workspaces,” Hayden said in a statement. “Retail-based theft, particularly by repeat offenders, poses an intolerable threat to those goals.”

Boston Municipal Court Central Division Judge Paul Treseler ordered Sullivan held on $500 bail, and also ordered him to stay away from the incident location.

Sullivan will return to court Sept. 19 for a pre-trial hearing.

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