Raynham Hotel Robber Heads to State Prison

RAYNHAM— A Brockton man has been sentenced to serve six to eight years in state prison for robbing a hotel clerk in Raynham with a knife last year.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office says Joseph Pierce, 38, of Brockton pleaded guilty last week in Fall River Superior Court on a single indictment charging him with armed robbery.

Pierce is also awaiting trial for similar robberies of hotels in Waltham and Boston. Pierce has a long history of arrests and convictions for larcenies, firearm crimes, and narcotics.

On October 28, 2018, around 2:00 am, Raynham police were dispatched to the Courtyard Marriot Hotel at 37 Paramount Drive for a robbery. When they arrived, police spoke with the female clerk, who was very upset. The victim stated she was in the back room getting a folder when a male walked into the back room with a knife and said: "give me all of your money, I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't give me the money I'll have to."

The suspect had the knife approximately two inches from the victim's side. The defendant then took the money from the clerk's drawer and before leaving stated: “I know hotels have safes, show me where the safe is.” The victim stated she didn’t have access to the safe. The suspect then said, “I’m going to have to hurt you if you don’t show me the safe.” The victim ran to the back room and shut the door behind her. The suspect then started pounding on the door and tried to open it. When the victim said she was going to call the police, the suspect fled from the hotel.

Using hotel surveillance cameras, police were able to get a good look at the defendant. Minutes before the robbery, police were called to a Walmart across the street from the hotel regarding a shoplifting incident matching the description of the suspect involved in the robbery.

The suspect was observed on video getting into a black Hyundai Elantra with a Virginia license plate.

Police ran the registration and learned the vehicle was a rental from Avis/Budget Rental. The rental agreement listed a Brockton woman as the renter of the car.

After looking at the woman’s Facebook account, police identified the defendant as the suspect from Walmart and Marriott. The defendant was apprehended at the rear of a residence in Brockton as he attempted to flee out of the bulkhead. During a search, police seized $806 from the defendant.

“This is a career criminal who is a menace to society who clearly needs to be kept off the streets for as long as possible,” District Attorney Quinn said.