For alleged serial shoplifter, it was black Friday

Dominic Beraldi (Rochester Police photo)

ROCHESTER - Dominic Beraldi, the man identified by police in numerous shoplifting incidents at city stores over the past several months, was arrested on Friday and charged in last week’s robbery at the Wakefield Street Rite Aid.

Beraldi, 20, described as a transient with Rochester ties who formerly resided at 2 Abbott St., in East Rochester, is being held on $2,000 cash bail pending an arraignment on the Rite Aid charge on Monday.

Police said in the Rite Aid incident Beraldi shoved a female store clerk as she confronted him at the exit after watching him toss various items into a bag he’d brought into the store with him.

Police say he fled in a vehicle parked at a nearby business.

The store clerk was not injured in the incident.

As police investigated the robbery Beraldi emerged as the chief suspect. Acting on a tip police located him in the Walmart parking lot on Friday night.

Beraldi also had another warrant through the Rochester Police Department for criminal trespass for an incident that took place on June 18.

Rochester Police on Thursday reported that Beraldi was being sought on a number of charges, including felony robbery, receiving stolen property, theft by deception and criminal trespass, but at that time did not link him to the Rite Aid robbery.

Beraldi, who was convicted of shoplifting last year and given a 30-day sentence suspended on good behavior for two years, racked up three shoplifting arrests in April at Rochester stores.

Besides allegedly shoplifting while out on bail, Beraldi also faces a second felony robbery charge for an incident at Kmart on April 11 in which he allegedly shoved a store manager to the ground after being caught shoplifting.

The other two willful concealment charges from April stem from incidents at the Rochester Walgreens and a second incident at Kmart.

Beraldi has a penchant for dying his hair, which is described as black but has been pink and yellow in the recent past.