26 Aug. 2013, at approx. 2:04 pm, Officers responded to a gas
station/convenience store located on the 300 block of Stockton Rd.,
regarding a possible battery in progress. When an Officer arrived, they
contacted a male subject exiting the store who was carrying a large
chain with a padlock attached to the end of it.
When the Officer approached the subject, the Officer asked the
subject what had just occurred inside the business. The subject
responded, “I just tried to rob the store.” At this point the subject
was detained. The subject was identified as Dustin Freitas, 36,
transient.
Officers contacted the on duty clerk inside the business. The
clerk stated Freitas entered the store and exited with a soda he had no
money to pay for. Freitas then hung around the outside of the store
until all the customers had gone. Freitas then re-entered the store and
walked directly to the register and told the clerk to give him all the
money and that he had a gun.
Freitas then removed a chain, with a padlock on it, from his
pocket and struck the clerk with it. The clerk then backed away from the
register and Freitas started beating the register with the chain and
lock in an attempt to break it open. After destroying the resister and
being unable to open it, Freitas exited the store. The clerk denied
medical attention, the damage to the register is estimated at over
$5,000.
A records check showed that Freitas is on parole out of
Calaveras County for battery with serious bodily injury. Freitas was
transported to the Tuolumne County jail and booked for felony robbery,
felony burglary, felony vandalism and felony violation of parole.
