Former Cop Accused of 7-Eleven Robbery Pleads Not Guilty

A Wayne resident and former special police officer in Haledon pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to charges stemming from an early-morning convenience store robbery this week. 

Dressed in a dark green prison jumpsuit, a handcuffed Valerio Rodano, entered the plea before Wayne municipal Judge Peter Weiss Thursday afternoon.

Rodano, 25, covered his face as police removed him from the courtroom and back to the Passaic County Jail where he remains held on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Passaic County Superior Court Dec. 4.

Rodano was charged Wednesday with robbery, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a weapon.

If convicted, Rodano could be sentenced for up to eight years.

Rodano is accused of robbing a Wayne 7-Eleven store early Tuesday morning. Officer Barry Cole was driving past the store at about 12:40 a.m. Tuesday when he noticed the clerk acting strangely. The clerk was robbed of $135 at gunpoint shortly before Cole arrived, police said.

During their investigation, Wayne police detectives found clothes and a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun in Rodano’s Chatham Court home, Capt. James Clarke said.

Rodano was also charged in 2009 with conspiracy, robbery and aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime, NorthJersey.com reported. Rodano allegedly robbed $900 from the Sunoco gas station at the intersection of French Hill Road and Alps Road, the report stated.

Rodano was a part-time special police officer with the Haledon Police Department but left in 2009 due to school obligations, the website reported.

Court records show that Rodano was sentenced to six months in jail, two years probation, and 125 hours of community service in October 2010. He was sentenced to an additional three years of probation in April 2011 for violating probation. 

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.