FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - A former corrections officer with a “history of committing violent robberies” will spend the next four years behind bars.
Joseph Farias, 47, of Westport, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in state prison followed by three years of probation in connection to two Fall River robberies.
On Sept. 4, 2017, Farias, who was armed with a knife, stole $100 from a cash register in the 7-Eleven convenience store on North Main Street before fleeing the scene, a spokesperson for the Bristol District Attorney’s Office said.
A month later on Oct. 4, 2017, Farias entered the Rite Aid on South Main Street with a tarp wrapped around his neck and back.
He reportedly demanded told the clerk that he had a gun and kept his hand behind his back, prompting the clerk to open the register.
Farais stole about $365 and fled, according to the DA’s office.
Surveillance video from Rite Aid showed a large tattoo on Farais’ neck that read, “Back Roads.” Multiple people identified Farais as the suspect based on the tattoo.
“This defendant has a history of committing violent robberies,” District Attorney Thomas Quinn said. “He needs to be locked up to protect the public”.
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