Community Corner

Monroe Woman Suspected in Robbery Spree, Civilian Action Credited

The woman was in custody on a third-degree larceny charge. She is suspected of driving the getaway car but has not been charged.

A Monroe woman is a suspect in the gunpoint robbery of Gene's Automotive, (Trumbull) last week, thanks to a customer who followed and wrote down the information on the getaway car, Trumbull Police said.  

Patricia Mercaldi, 29, of Turkey Roost Road, is charged with third-degree larceny in a separate incident but has not been charged in the Nov. 15 Trumbull robbery yet. She may also be involved in a string of other robberies in Bridgeport, Monroe, Stratford and Shelton, police said.

Police said they suspect Mercaldi was the getaway driver when an unidentified male entered Gene's Autmotive, brandished a firearm and demanded cash. The clerk complied, and the male entered a waiting car and fled.

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A customer then followed the car and took down its details, including the license plate, police said. Using the information, police had a suspect identified in 27 hours, said Deputy Police Chief Michael Harry.

The male is also in custody but has not been identified pending formal charges, police said. 

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Mercaldi has also been accused of stealing and pawning jewelry valued at more than $3,500 from a Trumbull home where she was staying.

On the larceny charge, she has been released on a written promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Dec. 18.


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