KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 37-year-old Blue Springs man is charged with 1st degree robbery and armed criminal action after police say he posed as a water worker to get inside a man’s home and rob him.
The resident says he had been sleeping when his doorbell rang at about 7 a.m. He said normally he doesn’t answer when he’s not expecting anyone, but for some reason he did on April 22. He said he opened the door to find a black man and white man in orange vests, telling him they were from the water department and needed to check the water pressure inside his residence near Independence Ave. and E. Park Ave.
He said when he let them in, the black male suspect turned on a water faucet and flushed a toilet before punching the man with a closed fist.
He said the man then pulled a handgun from his waist and pointed it at him, demanding his money. The suspect and resident then began to fight over the victim’s wallet, he said.
That’s when police say Frank Pollina, 37, the white male suspect, who had been waiting in the hallway, entered the apartment and punched the victim in the mouth with a closed fist. The victim says he began to yell for help and the suspects fled with his wallet and money.
The victim says he saw them get in a white Dodge pickup truck with a missing tailgate. He provided police that information and the license plate number.
Two days later, a white Dodge Ram with a matching license plate was located in North Kansas City, Mo. Police called for the vehicle to be towed. They say the owner of the vehicle, Frank Pollina, approached officers about the tow. In a line-up, the victim identified a photo of Frank Pollina.
Pollina was arrested in Blue Springs after a stop order had been issued.
Pollina is due back in Jackson County Court on June 23 for a preliminary hearing.
