A Long Island man has been indicted on charges of attempted robbery and related offenses after he allegedly tried to rob a woman he had hired to clean his apartment, officials announced Wednesday.
Christopher Doran, 66, is accused of luring the victim to his North Babylon apartment on Sept. 2 “under the prospects of hiring the victim to clean his home” before stealing from her at knifepoint, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
According to prosecutors, when the woman arrived at Doran’s home, he asked her to drive him to a nearby bank so he could withdraw money to pay for her services.
After instructing the unsuspecting victim to drive him to several locations, he allegedly told her to pull into a Chase Bank parking lot and then “pulled a knife out and demanded money from the victim,” officials said.
The woman managed to flee the car and quickly shut the driver’s side door — locking Doran inside the vehicle.
Unable to get out of the car, Doran grabbed a hammer, smashed the window and fled, prosecutors said.
But his freedom didn’t last long. A day after the alleged robbery, Doran was located and arrested by Suffolk County Police.
On Wednesday, he was indicted on charges of first-degree attempted robbery, third-degree robbery, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
“The allegations in this case represent a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior,” District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a news release.
Doran is being held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond or $1,000,000 partially secured bond and faces 16 years to life in prison if convicted.
He’s expected back in court on Oct. 17.