Jewelry

Robber pleads guilty — again — for targeting Asian women's jewelry - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Edward Hollivay said Thursday that he targeted Asian women for robberies because of the jewelry they wore.

July 2016 courtesy photo of Edward Hollivay. Hollivay, 53, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty to theft and robbery for incidents which occurred in March, May, and Sunday, July 10, 2016. In all the cases, necklaces were stolen off women’s necks near St. Paul markets. Photo courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Hollivay, 53, of Minneapolis was accused of stealing necklaces off the necks of three women near St. Paul markets earlier this year.

On Thursday, Hollivay pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery and one charge of theft in Ramsey County District Court.

In March, a 53-year-old woman with a gold necklace and a ruby pendant was robbed in the parking lot of the Hmongtown Marketplace.

“I snatched it and ran,” Hollivay said. “It was a little bit rough.”

Hollivay also admitted to snatching a necklace from the neck of a 47-year-old woman in the parking lot of May’s Market on West University Avenue in May.

On July 10, Hollivay came up behind a 36-year-old woman on Virginia Street near University Avenue and told her to turn over her property. A criminal complaint said the woman yanked off her gold necklace and handed it over to Hollivay along with her wallet and cellphone.

The complaint said that Hollivay threatened the woman with what she thought was a small black handgun.

The complaint said Hollivay was arrested a day later by police who were parked near the protests at the Governor’s Residence on Summit Avenue and saw Hollivay walking by wearing the same clothing as the robber in the July 10 incident. The complaint said police found a small black water pistol and a gold pendant in his pockets.

In court Thursday, Hollivay said he pleaded guilty to robbery charges in 2008 in which he also targeted Asian women to snatch necklaces.

He will be sentenced Dec. 8. Under the terms of a plea agreement, he is expected to get a prison sentence of six and a half years.