Robbery Suspect Hides Under Couple’s Deck

A Wolcott couple got quite the surprise on Tuesday when a suspected bank robber used the space under their deck to hide from police.

"I was just glad no one was home," Caren Ruocco, the homeowner, said. "It happened early in the morning, we were all out of the house."

Wolcott police officers were called to 826 Wolcott Road around 8:10 a.m. after a man with a gun robbed the TD Bank branch.

Police spotted the suspect's green pickup a short distance away and began chasing it, according to Chief Edward Stephens.

The suspect crashed the truck on Mad River Road and took off on foot into the woods. Officers began a two-mile foot chase through the woods and nearby neighborhoods trying to catch the man.

Police alerted three schools -- Alcott Elementary School, Wakelee Elementary School and Wolcott High School -- which were all placed into lockdown during the search, Stephens said.

A reverse 911 call was sent out to neighbors in the area. Tom McNerney, who lives next door to where the suspect was found, was woken by the call.

"Next thing you know I hear some rustling in the back woods and heard a couple voices," he said. "Heard an officer yell, 'Show me your hands,' and it was quiet after that."

Officers caught up William Raymond, 35, of Bristol, on Lorenz Drive and said $3,100 was recovered.

Raymond was charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree larceny and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He was held on $500,000 bond.

Raymond has been arrested 17 times since 1994, according to police.