A third alleged culprit is charged in connection with two robberies that happened in Halifax in January, in which two men were targeted after hooking up with guys on Plenty of Fish.
Colin David Brown, 21, from Halifax, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of robbery and one count of breaching probation.
Last month, Halifax police arrested two other men: Steven Robert Clarke, 21, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named because he is under 18. Both are from Halifax.
The 17-year-old is charged with two counts of robbery. Clarke is charged in connection with a Jan 6 incident as well as possession of stolen property, fraud and breaching probation.
Both Clarke and Brown are charged with breaching their release conditions and are known to police.
“They’re not necessarily chronic offenders, but they both have prior convictions and have relatively known [criminal] records,” says police spokesperson Greg Robertson.
The first robbery occurred on Jan 2 at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax. According to a police statement, a 35-year-old man picked up a man on Tower Rd whom he had met online. Moments later, two additional men approached the vehicle, threatened the victim and demanded his money.
The second robbery occurred Jan 6 in the Wellington St and Lundy Lane area. A 29-year-old man picked up a man on Spring Garden Rd whom he had met online and drove to the south end of Halifax. Moments later, additional men approached the vehicle, claimed they had a knife and stole the victim’s wallet before fleeing the area on foot.
Both victims handed over their money and were not physically injured.
Although there are media reports suggesting there are more victims, police told Xtra in January that the arrests are in response to two alleged incidents.
These arrests follow a police-issued warning for gay men to be cautious about people they have met online.
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