BOSTON, Oct. 30, 2013—A Dorchester teen was arraigned yesterday after MBTA Transit Police investigating a cell phone theft found Facebook photos depicting him in the exact clothing he wore during the robbery, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The 17-year-old male, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile under Massachusetts law passed last month, was arraigned yesterday in the juvenile session of Dorchester District Court on a single count of unarmed robbery.  At the request of Assistant District Attorney Courtney Doherty, Clerk Magistrate Michelle Bulger set bail in the amount of $500 and ordered him to stay away and have no contact with the victim, abide by home rules and a curfew, and to attend school daily.

At a bail review sought by the defendant today, however, Judge Joseph Johnston reduced the defendant’s bail and instead ordered only that he remain under house arrest with exceptions for school, work, and medical appointments and be monitored by a GPS device.

Doherty told the court that, on Sept. 5, Transit Police responded to Ashmont station, where a woman told them that her Samsung Galaxy S3 – valued at $500 – had been forcefully ripped from her hands as she exited the train.  She informed police that the male who took her phone had been seated across from her after they both boarded the train at Andrew Station.

The victim provided police with a physical description of the assailant as well as a description of his clothing – a turquoise baseball cap emblazoned with the letter “S,” a blue or turquoise shirt, and blue jeans, prosecutors said.  Based on the description, officers were able to retrieve surveillance images from inside the station that captured the defendant approximately 10 seconds after he stepped off the train, prosecutors said.  The image shows the defendant carrying an electronic device in his left hand, prosecutors said.

A wanted bulletin with images of the defendant was disseminated, and the defendant was quickly identified by a Transit Police detective familiar with the youth from a prior encounter. A further check of the defendant’s public Facebook page revealed images of the defendant wearing the same clothing described by the victim, prosecutors said.

Officers arrived at the defendant’s home and spoke to a family member of the defendant who identified him in the surveillance images.  The teen was taken into custody yesterday.

The juvenile was represented by Jennifer Doherty.  He will return to court on Dec. 4.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.