BROCKTON — A Greenfield man was released on personal recognizance in Brockton District Court on Thursday after he pleaded not guilty to five charges for allegedly breaking into and robbing a coffee shop in Whitman twice earlier this month.
Nore Anthony Cruz, 22, allegedly confessed to having broken into Restoration Coffee overnight on Jan. 1 and again on Jan. 7, stealing a total of roughly $1,400 in tips and cash boxes, along with four tote bags.
“Nore stated that he entered the business through an unlocked window, which he pushed open. I asked him if the same window was left unlocked for the second time that he broke in and he stated that it was,” Whitman Police Sgt. Patrick Burtt-Henderson wrote in the police report. “Nore stated that he got about $1,100 during the first break-in and about $300 from the second break-in. Nore stated that he entered the business looking for money, grabbed the tips, then found the metal cash boxes.”
Whitman Police arrested Cruz early Thursday morning after he turned himself in and confessed to the burglaries, according to the police report.
In addition to the Restoration Coffee break-ins, the report states that security camera footage from a nearby gas station shows the defendant walking around the building and attempting to open the door.
“I then informed Nore about the surveillance footage from the A.L. Prime gas station and asked him why he went to the business. Nore stated that he was checking to see if the doors were open, and if they were, he was going to enter the business and see what he could steal,” Burtt-Henderson’s report reads.
Cruz was charged with three counts of breaking and entering a building in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and two counts of larceny from a building. He is expected to appear in court next on Feb. 25.