Waterbury man charged in armed robbery attempt

Griswold liquor store targeted last month; gun reportedly was fake

A Waterbury man was arrested in connection to an attempted armed robbery at a liquor store in Griswold in December, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Troopers arrested Charlie Snowfly, 42, of Waterbury on Thursday and charged him with second-degree criminal attempted robbery, illegal use of a facsimile firearm, first-degree threatening and second-degree breach of the peace. The charges stem from an armed robbery attempt at JC Spirits Shop on Main Street in Jewett City, a borough of Griswold.

Police responded to the store on the evening of Dec. 30 for a reported armed robbery attempt. A store worker told police that a man wearing a black mask, winter hat, winter jacket and jeans entered the store and demanded money from the cashier. The man, later identified as Snowfly, allegedly displayed what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband, according to the arrest report. The firearm was later determined to be fake.

The worker told him to hold on and walked to the back of the store before she ran out of the building through the back door, according to the warrant. Snowfly was then seen on surveillance video following the worker for a few steps before turning and running out of the store. He did not steal anything from the store, the warrant said.

In the security footage, a man matching the suspect’s description could be seen entering a building on Main Street. Detectives went to the address, an apartment, on Jan. 2 and knocked on the door of the building and were met by a woman. The woman allegedly told police the lease was solely in her name, but a friend named “Charlie” was also inside the apartment, according to the warrant.

Detectives asked Snowfly to come to the door and speak with them to talk about an attempted armed robbery they were investigating, which he did, the warrant said. He was shown a photo of the suspect and was asked if he recognized the person, which he said he did not. He then explained he was only there a few days and lived in Waterbury, according to the warrant.

Police said they asked the tenant to come to speak with them in the hallway and she agreed, according to the warrant. She allegedly told them that Snowfly had been there for about three weeks and had been staying with her the night of the attempted robbery. She alleged that he went out around 6 or 9 p.m. and came back in a hurry shortly after, the warrant said.

Detectives told her they suspected Snowfly of committing the attempted armed robbery and asked to look around her apartment for evidence. According to police, she agreed and they conducted a walk-through of the apartment, the warrant said.

While searching the unit, police allegedly found “several items of interest that appeared to match the items of clothing worn by the suspect in the JC Spirit Shop” surveillance video. The items included a black Nike hoodie, black hiking boots and orange work gloves, according to the warrant. The tenant allegedly told police that the gun Snowfly used in the attempted robbery was underneath the drawer in the bathroom, the warrant said. Police searched the area and allegedly found a plastic gun that was similar to the one seen on security footage in the robbery, according to the warrant.

Police applied for a warrant after obtaining a statement from the tenant. Snowfly was served an arrest warrant on Thursday and was held on a $150,000 court-set bond and presented in Norwich Superior Court the same day.