Wethersfield Man Robbed Hotel At Gunpoint: Hamden Police

HAMDEN, CT — A Wethersfield man is accused of robbing a hotel in Hamden at gunpoint last month, according to police. Johnny Doward, 54, was arrested on a warrant over the weekend after he was caught trying to steal a purse out of a home in North Haven on Saturday night, according to police.

The robbery in Hamden occurred at the Clarion Hotel, located at 2260 Whitney Ave., during the early morning hours on March 16. Doward entered the hotel, approached the clerk and asked the clerk for change of a $1 bill, according to Capt. Ronald Smith.

Smith said when the clerk opened the cash register, Doward pointed a gun at him and ordered him to “Get on the ground.” An undisclosed amount of money was stolen, according to Smith. Detective Joseph Liguori conducted the investigation that led to an arrest warrant for Doward. Branford Police assisted with the investigation in Hamden, according to Smith.

Doward was arrested by North Haven Police on April 20 after a woman caught him trying to steal her purse out of her home. He was later turned over to the custody of the Hamden Police Department. He was also wanted by Branford Police on a warrant for first-degree robbery.

Doward, of Wolcott Hill Road in Wethersfield, was charged with first-degree robbery and sixth-degree larceny. He was detained on a court-ordered $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on May 7.