Alberto Ortiz Jr., age 39, of 11 Ohio Avenue, Nashua

By DEAN SHALHOUP

Senior Staff Writer

NASHUA – Alberto L. Ortiz Jr., the Nashua man accused of robbing two neighboring convenience stores in as many days, was ordered held in jail Monday on preventive detention as his case moves forward in Hillsborough County Superior Court South.

Ortiz, 39, whose address police list as 11 Ohio Ave., but which is listed in court documents as 10 Eleventh St., faces two counts of armed robbery with a firearm, which are special felonies, and one count of theft, a Class B felony.

His next court appearance is not yet scheduled, according to his bail order.

Last Thursday, according to police reports, Ortiz allegedly brandished a firearm while demanding money from a clerk at the Lake Convenience store, then on Saturday, he allegedly did the same thing to the clerk at ARZ Market, police said.

The stores are neighbors; Lake Convenience is at 49 Lake St., on the corner of Lake and Ash streets, while ARZ Market is at 41 Lake St., near the corner of Lake and Vine streets.

Police said patrol officers and detectives investigating both incidents, aided by surveillance video footage from the stores, soon narrowed their suspect list down to Ortiz, and arranged with members of the department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team to take Ortiz into custody.

They did so around 3 p.m. on Sunday “without incident,” police said, adding that they called in the Special Weapons and Tactics Team due to “the nature of the offenses.”

Ortiz was initially charged with the theft offense, after detectives learned during the investigation that he was wanted in an unrelated case for allegedly stealing items out of UPS packages while working at the company’s Nashua facility.

Those allegations, which police said involved the theft of four Apple watches collectively valued at about $1,000, were reported in February 2019, and following a year-long investigation, police issued a warrant for his arrest in March.

Meanwhile, police said Ortiz, in both alleged robberies, obtained cash from the clerks, then fled the area. It appears no shots were fired, nor were there any injuries.

Following his arrest, police said Ortiz agreed to speak with detectives, and during the interview he “admitted to committing the theft while working at UPS, as well as committing both robberies while armed with the same firearm found on his person during his arrest,” police said.

Police ask anyone with any additional information on the incidents to contact the department’s Crime Line at 589-1665.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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