SNOW HILL — Two area homeless individuals, arrested in June for their roles in a knifepoint robbery on the Boardwalk in the middle of a Friday afternoon, each pleaded guilty this week and each was sentenced to time in jail.
Around 3:30 p.m. on June 23, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to the area of South 1st Street and the Boardwalk for a report of a male being robbed and threatened with a knife. The victim told police he had just finished a shift at a nearby restaurant and was sitting on a bench on the Boardwalk and looking at his cell phone when he suddenly felt someone grab him from behind by his hair and pull his head backwards.
The victim told police the suspect, later identified as Rebecca Cakar, 45, of no fixed address, demanded he give her money and cigarettes. The victim told Cakar he did not have any money or cigarettes and attempted to stand up, but another suspect, identified as William Acosta-Barbosa, 37, of no fixed address, confronted him along with Cakar.
When the victim attempted to stand up, Cakar allegedly grabbed his arm and prevented him from standing. The victim told police he sat back down on the bench and observed Cakar asking other people on the Boardwalk for money and cigarettes. At one point, Cakar grabbed a drink from a Boardwalk patron and poured its contents into her own cup, according to police reports.
The victim told police he attempted to confront Cakar about her actions when Acosta-Barbosa walked toward him again. The victim said he heard a clicking noise and saw Acosta-Barbosa now holding a knife in his hand, according to police reports. The victim said Acosta-Barbosa walked toward him with the knife pointed in his direction until he got about two feet away. The victim told police he was able to move behind a table to gain some space between himself and Acosta-Barbosa.
The victim said Cakar, Acosta-Barbosa and the third suspect, later identified as Vanessa Rusch, 41, of no fixed address, left the area. A short time later, Acosta-Barbosa and Rusch were located at the municipal transit station on South Division Street.
Acosta-Barbosa and Rusch were arrested. During a search of Rusch’s backpack, the knife matching the description provided by the victim was located. On Tuesday, Acosta-Barbosa pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to five years in jail, all but 18 months suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation for two years.
On Wednesday, Cakar also pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to 18 months, all but six months of which were then suspended. In September, Rusch pleaded guilty to possession of an open-assisted knife and was placed on probation.
