Westminster police said today they are “delighted” to announced the arrest of man and woman suspected in the mugging of a 91-year-old former Marine on Veteran’s Day.
Jose Luis Pizarro, 33, and Jill Erickson, 44, are both charged with robbery of an at-risk adult. Pizarro is also charged with assault, and both are charged with possession of more than 2 grams of methamphetamine. All of the charges were felonies.
Police characterized Erickson as the getaway driver in the mugging.
The victim wasn’t named, and Westminster police said the family had asked for privacy.
The man and his 65-year-old wife had returned home from the grocery store on Nov, 11. As the man carried in the groceries, he was tackled from behind.
The mugger took the 91-year-old’s wallet from a pocket, ran to a waiting Dodge Neon and sped away.
Surveillance photos showed the alleged mugger behind the victim at a King Soopers at West 120th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, not far from the victim’s home.
That video eventually led to an arrest, police said today.
Tips to Crime Stoppers rolled in and the public was outraged, police said.
“If it hadn’t been for these tips I don’t think we would have identified him,” Westminster Police Detective Judy Grigg said in a media release.
“I couldn’t have been more pleased then when we confirmed the tip that pointed to Jose Pizarro. We work every case hard, but how could you not work this case just a little bit harder? This could be your grandfather?”
Westminster police established a “Veteran’s Day Robbery Victim’s Fund” at the Westminster Federal Credit Union to recoup the victim’s lost money.
“Police were astonished by the number of people who wanted to donate to offset the money taken during the robbery,” the department stated today.
Pizarro is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $50,000 bond. Erickson is free on $10,000 bond.
Neither has a court record of serious offenses. Court records show Erickson’s husband, a different man, filed a “petition with children” for divorce on Nov. 18, a week after the alleged robbery, and has a Jan. 18 review in that case.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
