CLEARFIELD – Three area males have been charged in an alleged robbery following an incident at the Walmart Supercenter, Clearfield, in October.
Ronald Pinto, 18, of Wallaceton, Jonathan Pennington Jr., 20, of Madera and Michael Young, 19, of Morrisdale have all been charged by Lawrence Township police.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, at approximately 3:14 p.m. Oct. 23, a report was received about a store employee being threatened with a knife. His phone and wallet had also been stolen, the caller said.
In an interview with police, the victim said he met Pinto at CBT Bank, Curwensville, and Pinto drove to Irvin Park. He said Pinto pulled in near the basketball courts and two males appeared from the wood line near the parking lot. He tried to get out of the truck, but he said Pinto held him back.
The victim said Pennington and Young entered the vehicle, moving him to the middle of the front seat. He said Pinto was the driver; he was in the middle and Pennington was the other front-seat passenger. Young was seated in the back.
He said after Pinto started driving to CBT Bank, located on Bridge Street in Clearfield, Young put a rope around his neck. It was allegedly so tight he was unable to breathe, and he had his feet on the dash trying to get free.
He said Young did eventually let go of the rope, but Pennington punched him in the face while they were traveling along the Clearfield Bypass. He said they took the long way to the bank, traveling to the Wolf Run intersection with Route 879, down River Road and then onto Bridge Street.
At CBT Bank, the victim said Pennington took his wallet, and tried using his bank card to withdraw money from his account. However, there wasn’t any funds available because he hadn’t been paid yet.
Pennington reportedly told the victim that he’d hold onto his wallet until he got paid. He said Pinto also took his phone while they were at the bank, and changed its passcode to prevent his access.
As they left the bank, he said Pennington hit him in the leg with the end of the rope he had around his neck as well as with the hatchet. He also said Pinto burned him with a cigarette.
The victim said then, they took him to WalMart because Pinto put the Even app on his phone, which would allow him to withdraw money from his paycheck early.
At the store, they allegedly threatened to chop him up in the “back woods” and throw him into the river, if he told anyone what was happening.
Pennington and Pinto also used the victim’s card to purchase approximately $120 worth of items from WalMart while Young took him to the service desk to withdraw funds from his pay early, police said.
Because he was a store employee, he said the other employees knew something was wrong. They took him behind the counter with them, and contacted police. This caused Pennington, Pinto and Young to flee the scene.
Police requested a be-on-the-lookout alert on the suspect vehicle, and later it was learned its owner had let Pinto borrow his truck to get firewood while he was at work all day.
Over a two-month period, the victim said he had approximately $1,200 taken from him, and that Pinto had told him he still owed him $1,800, according to the affidavit. It was noted that as of Oct. 24, police were still receiving reports about Pinto threatening the victim.
Young and Pennington have been charged with two felony counts of robbery, misdemeanor terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, strangulation and simple assault and summary harassment.
Pinto has also been charged with two felony counts of robbery; misdemeanor terroristic threats, unlawful restraint and simple assault and summary harassment.
Pinto waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday during centralized court while Pennington had all charges bound over to county court following a hearing before Magisterial District Judge James Glass.
Young waived his right to a preliminary hearing during his court appearance last week. All three males remain incarcerated in Clearfield County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
