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Man, woman sentenced to three years in prison for Warren restaurant robberies
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
A man and a woman were each sentenced to three years in prison Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for committing unrelated restaurant robberies in Warren.
Jessica R. Bucco, 28, of Kale Adams Road in Newton Township, pleaded guilty Thursday to robbing the Little Caesar’s Restaurant, 2525 Youngstown Road SE, at 10:19 p.m. Jan. 24.
It was the second time Bucco was arrested that evening, having gone to jail earlier on charges of passing bad checks and receiving stolen property.
Restaurant workers said Bucco came to the counter to place an order and tried to use multiple credit cards to pay, but they were all denied. She also tried to write a check, but the restaurant wouldn’t accept a check.
She left but returned a short time later, placing a note on the counter that read, “Give me everything in the register. I have a gun.”
The worker asked Bucco, “Are you serious?”
Bucco opened her purse and showed the worker what appeared to be a handgun. The worker gave Bucco money from the register, and Bucco fled on foot.
The investigating officer, upon looking at surveillance video, recognized Bucco from having arrested her at 5:30 p.m. on charges of writing bad checks and receiving stolen property involving a Warren bank.
She was wearing the same clothes she had worn when he arrested her earlier.
In that incident, police were called to Huntington Bank, 180 Main Ave. SW, for a woman who had used a false driver’s license and Social Security number to withdraw funds from a bank account.
Bucco, who later told police she had a heroin addiction, was arrested. Bucco pleaded guilty to passing bad checks in that matter in January.
Also sentenced to three years in prison Thursday was Brandon Cox, 18, of Brier Street Southeast and Dover Street Southwest, both in Warren, who robbed the Arby’s Restaurant on West Market Street on March 19. He was captured nearby.