By Nicole Falco and Jerry Burke
After police arrested the 21-year-old Valley Stream man for allegedly robbing his grandmother's Franklin Square home on Dec. 8, DiMaio apparently didn't like the accommodations made for him by police. He is now also accused of escaping from a holding cell in the Fifth Precinct station house a few hours after he was arrested and charged with stealing from his kin.
Not to worry, though: Fifth Precinct Police caught up with the fugitive only a block from the precinct house in Elmont.
According to a police report, DiMaio's parents caught him in his grandmother's Franklin Square home on Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. Police said DiMaio had been told he was not welcome in his grandmother's house. She was not at home at the time of the alleged burglary. Police were called after DiMaio's parents discovered $450 missing from the grandmother's pocketbook, officials said.
DiMaio's parents also accused him of stealing $3,000 in jewelry from their home on Nov. 11. DiMaio allegedly pawned the jewelry at a local jewelry store, police said. His mother was able to retrieve her jewelry, but had to pay to do so.
While in police custody at the Fifth Precinct's station house, on Dutch Broadway in Elmont, DeMaio was handcuffed to a bench inside a holding cell in the station house, police said, but he was able to bend the door of his holding cell in order to escape.
By bending the door, DiMaio was able to move the slide bar and open the door, police said. The holding cell door is protected only by a slide bar for fire safety reasons. Police quickly caught up with DiMaio on Fletcher Avenue, near Morgan Street, about a block from the station house.
DiMaio's escape attempt led to additional charges. He is now charged with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree escape, police said.
He was arraigned Dec. 9.
