Botsford Gas Station Robbed

By Andrew Gorosko

A young male, whose face was covered by a black ski mask, robbed a Botsford gas station on the night of Saturday, January 20, making off with cash and disappearing into the night.

At 9:18 pm, police received a call reporting the robbery, which occurred at Buzz’s Mobil at 286 South Main Street, a gas station just south of the intersection of South Main Street and Cold Spring Road.

Police said a lone male entered the gas station about 9:15 pm and forced the two employees within the building to hand over cash. There were no other people in the building when the robbery occurred, police said.  There were no injuries in the incident.

The assailant was in the store for several minutes, said Detective Robert Tvardzik.

Police said the unknown robber threatened the two unidentified employees by concealing his hand within a bag, implying that he had a weapon in his hand, and pointing his hand in the general direction of one of the employees.

The assailant made off in an unknown direction with between $250 and $500 in cash in the form of small bills, police said.

“We don’t know where he went,” Det Tvardzik said.

Police described the male as about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 150 pounds, and wearing a black ski mask, black pants, and black Adidas coat with white stripes.

Solving the case may prove difficult due to the limited description that police have of the robber, Det Tvardzik said.

Based on the circumstances of the crime, “We feel that the suspect is familiar with the business and the surrounding area,” the detective said.

Following the incident, town police called in state police to help investigate the robbery. State police brought in a tracking dog to search for the robber, but police were not successful in finding the person.

The crimes committed in the incident are third-degree robbery and second-degree larceny.

Police ask anyone with information on the incident to contact them at the police station. Patrolman Ryan Pfeiffer responded to the robbery report. Patrolman Pfeiffer and the detective bureau are investigating the case.

The last reported robbery in Newtown occurred in late November at the Blue Colony Diner on Church Hill Road. In that first-degree robbery, a man entered the building through a kitchen door and placed a screwdriver-like object against a male employee’s body and demanded money. The diner employee gave the assailant less than $100. Police are investigating that case.

Last March, a sole assailant entered Fleet Bank on Queen Street in a bank robbery.

Eric Duffey, 28, of Norwalk, last August received an 18-month jail sentence on a charge of third-degree robbery in a plea bargain agreement in Danbury Superior Court. Duffey, who was unarmed when he entered the bank, stole almost $10,000 from a teller.