Fortville police catch up with speedway robbers in 2023 incident – ​​The Daily Reporter

HANCOCK COUNTY — A Fortville teenager has been arrested and charged with weapons crimes in connection with the 2023 robbery of the Speedway gas station in Fortville.

Richard Louis Torres, 19, 400 block of East Monroe Street, was taken into custody and charged with Level 3 armed robbery and Level 6 pointing a firearm at another person.

A case was opened against Torres on Friday, May 3, and an arrest warrant was issued for him. He was held without bail ahead of his initial hearing on Monday, May 6, where Judge Scott Sirk pleaded not guilty, set bail at $15,000 and issued a no-contact order.

According to an affidavit, Fortville Police Department officers were assigned to investigate a robbery at the Speedway Gas Station, 335 E. Broadway Street, that occurred at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, November 5, 2023

Officers said in the report that a man wearing a green and black hooded jacket and a ski mask entered the store and robbed a worker at gunpoint before leaving the store with about $445.

Officers were made aware of a young Hispanic man who was seen in parts of the city before and after the robbery, they say in the affidavit. Based on the description and the fact that officers had multiple encounters with the man, officers believed Torres was the suspect.

That, along with the fact that the robbery victim told officers the man frequently drove at the track and walked around town daily, gave officers the feeling they knew who the suspect was, the report said. Despite suspecting it was Torres, officers discovered they never had enough evidence to bring him in for questioning.

Then on April 25 of this year, officials from Torres’ family reported him missing, the affidavit states. The family sent police a photo of Torres, who happened to be holding a black and silver handgun, the affidavit said. Officers quickly remembered the description of the weapon used in the Speedway robbery and once again felt Torres was the perpetrator.

The affidavit says Torres mentioned to others that he had no reason to live and had abandoned his family. When police contacted the family, officers were told that Torres had been acting strangely for some time. The family believed he was involved in gang activity, the report said.

Family members then viewed photos from the night of the robbery and told police they believed the photos were of Torres, the report said. They also provided officers with clothing they believed was worn during the robbery, the affidavit said.

Officers were contacted on April 27 and said Torres wanted to speak with officers after his family located him. However, when he showed up at the police station, he demanded a lawyer and left without speaking.

On April 28, officers took a series of photographs of men wearing the ski mask, and Torres was identified by the victim as the robber, the affidavit said.

Torres is due in court for a preliminary hearing at the end of July.