Two arrested for armed robbery in Belvidere

Gilberto Diaz, 41

Candelario Vite Cruz, 25

BELVIDERE – On Friday, September 18, Belvidere Police Department Patrol Officers and Detectives assisted by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office arrested two subjects for armed robbery.

Gilberto Diaz, 41, and Candelario-Vite Cruz, 25, both of Nashville, Tenn., were each charged with one count of armed robbery (Class X Felony), one count of armed violence (Class X Felony), one count of aggravated unlawful restraint (Class Three Felony), and one count of unlawful use of weapons (Class A Misdemeanor).   Diaz and Vite-Cruz remain in the custody of the Boone County Jail with no bond.

On Friday, September 18, two armed subjects entered a business located in the 2000 Block of N. State St. in Belvidere.  They displayed a firearm, demanded money, bound the employee, and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency.

The business owner contacted the police to report the robbery.  Boone County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in securing the crime scene perimeter.  Belvidere Patrol Officers conducted a felony traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle near the crime scene.  Show-up identification was conducted and both subjects were taken into custody.

Belvidere Police Detectives recovered several pieces of evidence from the suspect vehicle including a firearm, pellet gun, and U.S. currency.  Detectives obtained video recorded statements and ultimately lodged both subjects into the Boone County Jail.

The investigation is on-going and additional charges are possible.   A Class X Felony is punishable by six to 30 years in the department of corrections, a Class Three Felony is punishable by two to five years in the department of corrections, and a Class A Misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in a correctional facility.

The Belvidere Police Department encourages anyone having information on a crime or narcotic trafficking to call the Belvidere Police Department at (815) 544-2135 or crime stoppers at (815) 547-7867.

Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt.  Every defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the State’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.