GREECE — Multiple arrests have been made in connection with two violent home invasion robberies that occurred in the Town of Greece, authorities announced.
The Greece Police Department, working with the U.S. Marshals Service Rochester, Rochester ATF Task Force, New York State Police, and the Rochester Police Department, apprehended suspects linked to robberies that took place during the early morning hours of Feb. 3.
In both incidents, suspects forcibly entered private residences—first on Annie Lane, then on Dorsey Road—and stole property while armed with a semi-automatic firearm.
A suspect vehicle was identified shortly after the crimes through the License Plate Reader system, which investigators say proved instrumental in advancing the case.
Detectives identified Damani Lodato, 18, of Rochester, and Richard Crowder, 18, of Brockport, as suspects in both robberies following an extensive investigation.
On April 10, members of the Greece Police Department SWAT Team and the Rochester Police SWAT Team executed multiple search warrants in Rochester, Brockport, and Chili.
During the searches, detectives recovered a loaded, defaced handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines, and additional physical evidence linking the suspects to the crimes.
A third individual, Sebastian Ortiz, 25, of Rochester, was also arrested during the operation.
Lodato and Crowder each face multiple counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Ortiz was charged with second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Following his arrest, Lodato was turned over to the New York State Police on charges connected to a Feb. 7 high-speed pursuit involving an out-of-state gun transport.
Authorities noted that Crowder was also arrested in that February incident and was out on bail at the time of his current arrest.
