Sheriff Arrests Man Accused Of Port Richey Bank Robbery

PORT RICHEY, FL -- Pasco County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man they believe committed yesterday's robbery at the Synovus Bank in Port Richey.

Pasco deputies arrested Joseph Constanzo Jr., 56, of Vixen Lane in Port Richey and charged him with robbery of the bank as well as the robbery of the Port Richey Save-A-Lot grocery store on Feb. 20

According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, on March 6 at 12:11 p.m., a man entered the Synovus Bank at 6435 Ridge Road in Port Richey, approached a teller and demanded cash. After receiving the cash, he fled the bank (See related story).

The sheriff's Information-Led Policing Section ran surveillance photos of the bank robber through a national database and came up with a match for Constanzo. The bank teller then positively identified him from a photo pack.

When questioned, Constanzo admitted to robbing the bank, said deputies.

The database search also linked him to the Feb. 20 robbery of the Save-A-Lot at 8854 State Road 52 in Port Richey. A man entered the store, selected several items and then waited in a checkout lane. As the cashier began to ring up his purchases, the man walked around the counter and demanded the cashier open the register "or he would get violent with her."

He then removed $588 from the cash register.

On March 6, the cashier also identified him from the photo pack.

Constanzo admitted to the Save-A-Lot robbery. He told deputies that he has a drug addiction and needed money to feed his habit. He said he is unemployed.

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