Authorities say Schenectady man with shotgun tied up woman, stole belongings

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

A city man was arrested this week on accusations he broke into a woman’s home last weekend armed with a double-barreled shotgun, tied her up and made off with some of her belongings in an apparently random incident.

Donovan Stephenson, 21, of 764 1/2 Eastern Ave., faces multiple high-level counts, including first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.

He was arrested earlier this week after the investigation led police to his Eastern Avenue apartment, where officers found him hiding in a drop ceiling.

The victim was tied up by Stephenson during the break-in but was not physically harmed, prosecutor Michael DeMatteo said Friday.

He said she spent an undetermined amount of time restrained before finally freeing herself and calling police.

The break-in happened around 1:30 a.m. June 8, according to papers filed in court, when Stephenson alledgedly kicked his way through a door and entered the Bedford Road residence.

Once inside, he encountered the 50-year-old woman, took her to the home’s basement at gunpoint, then bound her to a metal pole with a telephone cord and covered her mouth with a cloth, according to police.

Stephenson then moved about the house, taking multiple items, including jewelry, a television and $30 in cash, then fled, DeMatteo said.

Sometime later, the victim was able to free herself and call police.

It was on Monday evening, two days after the attack, that police arrived at Stephenson’s residence, armed with a search warrant. DeMatteo declined to say what led police there, only that they zeroed in on him through their investigation.

Inside, they found Stephenson hiding in the ceiling. They also found a gun similar to the one described by the victim. It was a weapon Stephenson could not legally possess, as he was previously convicted of robbery in Schenectady in 2011.

Stephenson faces one count each of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary, either of which could put him in prison for up to 25 years, if convicted. He also faces one count each of first-degree unlawful imprisonment, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies, as well as obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor.

Stephenson was arraigned and ordered held on $50,000 bail. He remained at the Schenectady County Jail on Friday.