DeWitt police have arrested a husband and wife team in relation to an October robbery at the Citgo gas station at 750 W. Manlius St.
According to police, at 9 p.m. on Oct. 30, officers from the DeWitt Police Department were dispatched to a robbery complaint at the Citgo gas station. Upon arrival, officers were advised by the cashier that a male wearing a hat and scarf over his face had entered the store and demanded money from her, while holding his hand in his pocket, insinuating that he was armed with a weapon. After receiving the money from within the cash register the male fled the scene.
Investigation by the DeWitt Police Department led investigators to the cashier’s husband as a person of interest. The husband, Anthony Lacafta, 29, then admitted to the crime but denied that his wife had any knowledge and that he only chose that location because he knew his wife would not react violently toward him when he attempted to rob the store.
Lacafta was charged on Nov. 15, with robbery in the third degree and petit larceny.
Continuing investigation by police found that the couple had in fact communicated through electronic messages in order to stage the robbery. The cashier, Desiree Straut, 30, was subsequently arrested on Dec. 7, with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, making a punishable false written statement, falsifying business records, and conspiracy in the sixth degree.
