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Brighton man charged with stealing $10 from 67-year-old woman in a wheelchair

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 22, 2010 04:34 PM

A Brighton man was arrested Monday night for allegedly robbing a 67-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair for mobility purposes, according to police officials.

Jerdon Brooks, 48, was arrested after officers responded to the Mission Hill neighborhood at about 11:40 p.m. Monday, according to Boston Police. Brooks was charged with unarmed robbery for allegedly stealing $10 from the victim while she was waiting for the Green Line trolley, police said. The suspect then allegedly pushed her onto the tracks on Huntington Avenue, police said.

"The charges here are particularly disturbing, because the victim was both an older adult and used a wheelchair," said Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. "It's something that we take very seriously."

Officers from Wentworth Institute of Technology police responded after receiving a report of a woman screaming near Ward Street, according to the police report. Boston Police and Transit Police were notified.

Several people were standing with the victim on the trolley tracks when officers arrived, police said. Trains were still in service at the time, and the victim was helped off the tracks by the witnesses, according to the police report.

After searching the area, officers found the suspect on Horadan Way, but lost sight of him when he fled behind an apartment building, police said. They later found him on a trolley that he boarded where the alleged attack occurred.

"Officers did note in the report that he had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath," Boston Police Officer Eddy Chrispin said. "When asked if he had been drinking, he stated he had been consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana as well."

Brooks was arraigned this morning in Roxbury Municipal Court, Wark said. Prosecutors recommended $10,000 cash bail, but it was set at $5,000, Wark said.

Brooks is scheduled to return to court July 19 for a pre-trial hearing.