Dizzy duo nabbed for Lynn coffee shop caper

LYNN – Tough times got tougher for one Lynn couple Tuesday night after a botched robbery landed both parties in jail and cost one woman her job.Police allege 43-year-old Margaret Young knew that her boyfriend, 42-year-old Theron Grady planned to rob the Dunkin’ Donuts at 334 Lynnway Tuesday night, a convenient twist for both parties as Young is employed at that location and was able to show her significant other just where the money was located.Both parties, who live at 376 Washington St., were arrested and charged with unarmed robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime and malicious destruction of property over $250. In addition, Young was charged with one count of witness intimidation.Both were arraigned and held on $500 cash bail Wednesday.Police first responded to a call of an unarmed robbery at the Dunkin’ Donuts at approximately 7:30 Tuesday night, where Young and another employee told them a Hispanic male dressed in gray had climbed over the counter, knocked down the cash register and made off with an undetermined amount of cash.At the same time the employees were interviewing with police, backup units spotted Grady crouching in the parking lot of North Shore News on Blossom Street and stopped to question the man.After speaking with the suspect for a short time, police were able to locate a gray sweatshirt and pants, a bank deposit bag and a cash box containing over $300 under a nearby tree and placed Grady under arrest.While interviewing the suspect, Grady told police that he was just going to Dunkin’ Donuts to “visit his girl” who he identified as Young.When police brought Young and the second employee to Blossom Street to identify Grady as the alleged robber, officers say Young became nervous, agitated and said there was “no way” that Grady was the man who violently robbed her, while he second employee told police she was positive that Grady had committed the crime.Police listed Young’s “sudden change in demeanor and attitude” when she saw Grady as evidence enough to arrest the woman, but a review of video surveillance sealed the fate of the now former employee.According to police reports, the video tape clearly showed Grady knock down the cash register and a few racks as he jumped over the counter, but the fear he instilled in the employee working with Young was not duplicated by his girlfriend, who allegedly stood up close talking to him and appeared to show him where the money was while her coworker cowered.Once the couple was in custody the second employee told police that prior to the robbery Young had told her to go home, and that it was OK with the manager – a story that did not check out when police consulted Dunkin’ Donuts management.As a result, Young was saddled with the additional witness intimidation charge.