Robert McTernan, a 25-year-old tourist from Ireland, admitted on Monday that there was sufficient evidence against him for 
the Boston Municipal Court jury to find him guilty of larceny.
The man was arrested for stealing two ricotta cheese cannoli pastries, valued at $5, from Bova’s Bakery at 3 AM the previous Thursday. Allegedly, he had a large knife that he flashed at employees. He was granted $2,000 bail and had to surrender his passport. His parents came in from Ireland to pick him up.
However, because the knife was never found, and because he had no previous criminal record in Ireland, his sentence was reduced from armed robbery to larceny. If the armed robbery charge had stood, McTernan could have faced a year in prison; however, the larceny charge reduces his sentence to 9 months’ probation, and 50 hours of community service when he returns to Ireland.
Ralph Bova, whose family has owned the sweet shop for 85 years, said: “I’m just glad no one got hurt. That was my main concern. You don’t know who you’re dealing with at that hour of the morning.”
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