A closer look at a photograph of a man wielding a gun during an armed robbery in Dracut, Mass., helped Pelham police identify a man who allegedly committed a series of crimes in the area.

According to Lt. Brian Mc- Carthy, officers noticed that the robber – gloved at the time – had his middle finger on the trigger of the weapon while two other fingers, the ring and pinky, stood out straight.

That led officers to Robert Gleason, 25, of Pelham, who is missing both of those fingers on his right hand and who police said owns a car similar to the vehicle used in the Dracut hold-up. Gleason – identified by Sgt. Anne Perriello, who has dealt with him in the past – was taken into custody at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, on a string of unrelated charges in Pelham.

According to McCarthy, three weeks ago Gleason had stolen several checks from his father, forged his name and cashed them, giving authorities an opportunity to hold him while police on both sides of the border investigated his connection to robberies in Dracut and Methuen, Mass., as well as the robbery of a Salem Luk Oil last week.

Gleason was arraigned in Derry on Thursday, March 26, and is being held on $100,000 cash bail as authorities investigate a possible connection to three other cases.