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Arrest Made in Daylight Armed Robbery in Madison

Police announced the arrest of a Branford man on April 29, charging him with several felony charges resulting from an April 28 armed robbery of a Boston Post Road business. The crime took place in the middle of the day along a well-traveled section of Route 1 and, according to a police statement, also included an assault on several employees at the business.

Madison Police Department spokesperson, Lieutenant, Jeremy Yorke, said in a statement that Dennis Abbate, 46, of Branford, used a stun gun as well as a loaded firearm to steal several items from The Watch Trader, located at 29 Boston Post Road in Madison, near the Guilford town line.

According to Yorke, Abbate assaulted several store employees during the robbery at approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 28. Police said several “high-end valuable watches” were taken during the incident. Abbate allegedly also stole a vehicle from one of the victims to flee the scene. The resulting injuries were minor, police said.

Abbate was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree larceny, second-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal use of a weapon.

According to Captain Douglas Harkins, evidence suggests Abbate had been surveilling the business as a possible target before the incident.

“We have reason to believe that this may have taken some planning, and we think he may have been casing the place for some time,” Harkins said. “I don’t have a time frame by any means, but we do think he had been casing the store a little while.”

Harkins and Yorke confirmed that they believe the suspect acted alone and there were no accomplices, but the investigation remains active.

Abbate was arrested in Branford, and both officers praised the departments that assisted in quickly apprehending the suspect.

“One thing I can add is that this was a great partnership with our local law enforcement partners. We were able to utilize their help and were able to apprehend the suspect,” said Yorke. “There is still a lot of investigation to go on for this case.”

Abbate was held on a $500,000 bond and appeared in New Haven Superior Court on Monday, May 1.