Highland Mills man charged in three Monroe robberies

MONROE — State police charged a 30-year-old Highland Mills man with committing three robberies in Monroe over the past year.
According to police, John F. Elliott, 30, of Highland Mills, allegedly conducted robberies at three Monroe store — Charming Charlie, Edible Arrangements and Sally Beauty — two of which were armed robberies. He was arrested on Dec. 18 and charged with two counts of first=degree robbery and one count of third-degree robbery, all felonies.
The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, Dec. 18, when police say Elliott allegedly robbed the Sally Beauty supply store located in the Harriman Commons plaza on Bailey Farm Road in Monroe.
Previously, on Valentine’s Day of this year, police say Elliott allegedly conducted an armed robbery of the Monroe Edible Arrangements store on Larkin Drive, not too far from Sally Beauty.
At the time of the incident, state police said the suspect displayed a handgun to a clerk and demanded money them fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The first robbery occurred on Dec. 23, 2016, police said, when Elliott allegedly conducted an armed robbery at the Monroe Charming Charlie store, located in the same Harriman Commons plaza on Bailey Farm Road as Sally Beauty.
Elliott was arraigned in the Town of Wallkill and was sent to the Orange County Jail pending further court appearance, according to state police. Bail was set at $350,000 cash bail or $1 million bond.
A first degree robbery charge has a minimum sentence of five years in state prison and a maximum sentence of 25 years in state prison.
State Police BCI at Monroe are requesting that anyone with information to any of these cases, as well as any other robberies that Elliott may have allegedly been involved with, to please contact State Police Monroe at (845) 782-8311. All calls will remain confidential.
- Erika Norton