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Travis Pinto wanted in connection with Halloween burglaries

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The man responsible for a string of Halloween robberies is currently at large, Gallup Police Department Captain Marinda Spencer said at press time, Nov. 10.

He’s wanted on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

Travis Pinto, 23, of Vanderwagen, faces three counts of robbery, seven counts of false imprisonment and one count of tampering with evidence following a string of armed robberies on Oct. 31.

In all, he made off with an iPad Pro and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The first robbery occurred just after 6 pm, when employees at the AT&T store on 815 Metro Ave called police with a report of a masked man with what appeared to be a handgun robbing the store. Reportedly, the man later identified as Pinto entered the business and demanded an iPad Pro.

The affidavit for arrest warrant states that the store owner recognized Pinto from a previous incident of theft from this business.

At 8 pm, officers were called to Sally’s Beauty Supply at 1744 Maloney Ave, where someone matching the description of the AT&T robber had just entered the business and demanded cash from the register.

Reportedly, the suspect later identified as Pinto was wearing a black mask and carrying what appeared to be a Glock handgun. An hour later, Pinto allegedly entered the Family Dollar on 2041 South Second St. and, again brandishing what appeared to be a handgun, demanded cash from the register.

Police made contact with Pinto on Nov. 3, and he admitted to his crimes and stated the weapon was an airsoft gun, not a firearm. He reportedly provided the officers with the airsoft gun, mask and clothing used during the robberies, as well as the stolen iPad Pro.

If you have information on Pinto’s whereabouts, call Crimestoppers at (505) 722-6161. You can remain anonymous.

By Tiana Gibbs

Sun Editor