Springfield police beef up presence after armed robberies, burglaries

Faced with a rash of burglaries and armed robberies at both a bank and credit union in the past month, the Springfield Police Department has beefed up patrols in the River Street and North Springfield areas.


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Springfield police beef up presence after armed robberies, burglaries November 26,2016 By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Faced with a rash of burglaries and armed robberies at both a bank and credit union in the past month, the Springfield Police Department has beefed up patrols in the River Street and North Springfield areas. Police Chief Douglas Johnston said recently he was taking advantage of overlapping shifts and putting the extra manpower along River Street. “And we’re doing more motor vehicle work up there,” said the chief. “People are concerned. I understand that, and they’re afraid for what’s going on,” he added. “... we’re doing it to (promote) some peace of mind, and to deter any further burglaries.” Johnston said police do not have suspects for the two armed robberies; the first of the Windsor County South Credit Union on Oct. 18, and the second of the Mascoma Savings Bank on Nov. 10. Both financial institutions are on River Street, and in both cases, the description of the robber matched. Also, in both cases, the robber stole a vehicle from a bank employee to make his getaway, only to abandon it a short distance away. No one was hurt in either robbery. Johnston was cagey when asked about the status of the investigation into the bank and credit union crimes, saying Springfield detectives were waiting on another agency for information. He would not elaborate. “We’re on somebody else’s clock,” he said. “We are waiting for more information. I don’t want to go any further.” In addition to the bank heists, multiple businesses along the road have been hit, Johnston said. Businesses had been burglarized in the nighttime. “The Carpet Store, the Quik Stop, Woodbury’s, but they didn’t get anything,” said Johnston. He said police had recently solved a burglary of an outbuilding on Precision Drive, during which diesel fuel stolen out of a truck was spilled on the ground. But he said he didn’t believe the River Street burglaries and robberies were connected. “The individuals involved in that were cooperative and owned up to what they had done,” the chief said. The Springfield area has been plagued with bank robberies and burglaries in recent year, with many in law enforcement and social services blaming the opioid crisis. Last month, Matthew Martin, 31, of the Weathersfield and Springfield areas, pleaded guilty to at least six robberies, most of them bank robberies, in Springfield, Ludlow and Brattleboro. He has yet to be sentenced.