Drugs may have incited spree, police say
Suspect in six robberies is charged
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A Mattapan man with more than a dozen convictions for armed robbery dating back to the mid-1980s was probably motivated by an addiction to crack cocaine in robbing six Back Bay and South End establishments recently, law enforcement officials said.
Preston Jackson, 42, touched off a wave of fear among boutique clerks, coffee shop baristas, sandwich makers, and other employees of businesses in the shopping districts. He was arraigned yesterday in Boston Municipal Court and charged with armed robbery of six such businesses from Dec. 18 through last Wednesday, when he was arrested moments after his latest alleged attempt.
After he was apprehended, Jackson told police he committed the robberies because he needed drugs, the officials said.
During his arraignment, Jackson stood in the hallway of a courtroom, out of sight of cameras and reporters. Assistant District Attorney Vincent DeMore told Judge Mark H. Summerville, "the behavior, the pattern of the defendant, essentially terrorized the Back Bay and South End."
But Jackson's lawyer, Greg St. Cyr, told Summerville, that "in reality, there was no real threat of harm to anyone involved."
Before ordering Jackson held on $95,000 bail, Summerville leafed through the defendant's criminal record, looked at St. Cyr, and said "I count about 16 robbery convictions."
Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, confirmed that Jackson had been convicted on two eight-count armed robbery indictments.
Jackson was not expected to post bail, but even if he does, he would be held on a bail revocation by Summerville for an unrelated outstanding case out of Dorchester District Court.
The six robberies that Jackson now stands charged with began Dec. 18 at Finagle-A-Bagel on Boylston Street.
A clerk later told police that he was cleaning behind the counter when the suspect walked in and passed him a note stating "give me the money and nobody gets shot."
The clerk asked the suspect, later identified as Jackson, if he was serious, and in response Jackson allegedly showed his waistband, which contained an object that appeared to be a handgun, the employee said. The worker then opened the cash register and gave the suspect $600.
Three days later, Jackson allegedly struck a boutique on Newbury Street, and again on the day after Christmas. The spree continued with two more armed robberies that included
The last act in the crime spree New Year's Eve, when Jackson allegedly walked into Bon Bon on Massachusetts Avenue. A clerk told the suspect that robbing the store would be "a really bad idea" because of the numerous surveillance cameras in the store. The would-be robber backed out of the store and fled on foot. The suspect was apprehended near the Hynes Convention Center MBTA Station. The clerk had called police after the suspect left and later identified Jackson as the man who had attempted to rob the store.
Police Captain William Evans said larcenies from high-end boutiques and other businesses in the area are not unusual, but the type of crime Jackson is accused of is rare on Newbury Street and shopping district that circles that street.
"Obviously there's a spike just because of this guy. Robberies on Newbury Street are very rare, so when this started to happen, we knew we had an unusual set of circumstances," Evans said. Jackson allegedly robbed the businesses of more than $1,500.
The crimes occurred despite increased police presence in the area because of the holiday season, Evans said. In the wake of the robberies, authorities have been working with Back Bay and South End businesses to prevent similar crimes, he said.
A clerk who Jackson allegedly held up was so shaken that she missed several days of work.
"She's had nightmares of what happened," said Francisco Montrond, manager of Dependable Cleaners on Newbury Street.
Jackson allegedly walked into the establishment during evening business hours on Dec. 26, making off with $230.
"It's scary," Montrond said.
"We have a lot of customers who knock on the door after we close, and we've let them in. Now we have to make sure they really are customers."
