A New Bedford man, already shackled by the law with a GPS monitoring device, brazenly held up an Uber driver at knifepoint on Monday evening – just outside his own home. Isaiah Poindexter, 22, of 117 Cedar St., is now in cuffs after police charged him with armed robbery while masked, in a twist of fate that played out right under his nose.
The incident unfolded when an unwitting Uber driver, waiting for a fare at the intersection of North St. and Cedar St., was accosted at around 5:30 PM. According to the New Bedford Police Department's Facebook post, the suspect, with his face obscured by a bandana, brandished a knife and demanded the driver’s possessions. After the robbery, the perpetrator made a quick getaway on foot, not straying far from home.
Officers Tyler Viera and William Mouyos were quick to the scene, where they managed to secure video evidence that unveiled the suspect's identity. The footage led the officers straight to Poindexter, who was apprehended at his residence, located – with no small irony – just a stone's throw from where the crime was committed.
The background check on Poindexter revealed a spectrum of vandalism offenses from last summer, involving an artistic spree with "Dex" and miscellaneous graffiti sprayed across several vehicles, including those belonging to the BCSO parked near the Ash St. jail. The GPS anklet, a consequence, of those charges confirmed his presence at the crime scene at the purported time of the robbery, according to the New Bedford Police Department.
With the electronic anklet snitching on his whereabouts, Poindexter now faces serious criminal charges. The New Bedford Police urge anyone with information about this crime to reach out anonymously at 508-99-CRIME or to drop a tip on their website.
