A Town of DeWitt man has been accused of committing two robberies last week in the Town of Salina and, during his arrest by detectives of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, was allegedly discovered with 27 bags of heroin.
Alberto Cerelli, 57, of Court Street Road in DeWitt, was charged with two counts of robbery in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree after detectives discovered 27 bags of heroin on him.
On Monday morning, Nov. 5, at approximately 11:05 a.m., sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a robbery that had just occurred at the Cricket Wireless Store at 175 Shop City Plaza in the Town of Salina. An employee working at the time reported that an older white male entered the store and demanded money from the cash register. After complying with the suspect’s demands, the suspect fled from the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen running through the parking lot towards the Tops grocery store.
The suspect was described as an older white male, who stood approximately six feet tall, wearing a hoodie-style sweatshirt and jeans.
On Thursday evening at approximately 5:11 p.m., sheriff’s deputies were called to investigate a second robbery that occurred within blocks from Shop City Plaza. Deputies investigating the incident reported that the suspect fitting the similar description from the Cricket Wireless robbery entered the Lyncourt Bakery at 2205 Teall Ave and forcibly stole money from the cash register.
Information was developed by detectives that the suspect was seen fleeing from the area in a silver sedan.
Less than an hour after the robbery took place, a sheriff’s deputy spotted the suspect’s vehicle in the parking lot of the Pilot Truck Stop on 7th North Street. With the assistance from detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, the suspect was apprehended and identified as Cerelli, and shortly thereafter was discovered to have 27 bags of heroin with him.
Cerelli was arraigned on Thursday, Nov. 9, in Syracuse Criminal Court by Judge Rosenthal. Bail was set at $5,000 cash or bond for each incident.
