By:Jeff Lipton
According to Fourth Squad Detective Frank Sicker, the suspects, identified as Richard LaPointe, 23, of Wood Street, and Matthew Wrobel, 21, of Merrick Road, walked into the Dairy Barn, at 1600 Broadway, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3, accompanied by an accomplice who remains at large. They approached the 21-year-old night manager and locked him in the storage shed, police said, taking his wallet and removing $260 in cash. Then, according to Detective Lt.
Gregory Detwiller of the Fourth Squad, the suspects returned the victim's wallet but threatened to extort money if they could not sell drugs from the store.
No one was injured, police said.
Fourth Squad Detective Farokh Mehta arrested LaPointe at the Fourth Precinct station house on Saturday, Feb. 5, and arrested Wrobel at the station house the following day. Both were charged with second-degree robbery, and arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Feb. 6, police said.
An investigation is continuing.
