Two more suspects identified in Mahoning heist
Mahoning Township police have identified two more Philadelphia residents who allegedly fired a paintball gun at a local Walmart employee as they fled the store after stealing $3,488 worth of electronics in the early morning hours of Nov. 26. The men have yet to be located.
Jamal Mitchel, 32, and Donte Shaw, 21, each face felony charges of retail theft, conspiracy to commit retail theft, robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery. Mitchel also faces a felony charge of criminal use of communication facility. Each man faces misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and conspiracy to recklessly endanger another person, Officer In Charge Audie Mertz wrote in a report released Friday.Officer Tyler Meek filed the charges.Mitchel and Shaw are believed to have joined with four others in a retail theft ring that is responsible for stealing about $190,000 worth of merchandise from Walmart and Sam's Club stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Maryland between Aug. 12 and Nov. 28.Shortly after fleeing the Mahoning Township Walmart on Nov. 26, police nabbed three of the gang: Henry Clinton and Sabree Clinton, both 30, and Nyra Foster, 28, all of Philadelphia. Only one man has yet to be identified.According to a Nov. 26 report issued by Mertz, two vehicles pulled into the Walmart parking lot at 4:14 that morning. Five men got out of the cars and went into the store. They loaded high-end electronics, including a television, four desktop and two laptop computers, into shopping carts.Two of the men went out the front door with two of the laptops; the vehicles they arrived in drove around to an alarm-equipped side emergency exit, which the men used to leave with the stolen merchandise.While leaving, one of the men shouted "Don't follow me! Whatever you do, don't follow me!"The employees then heard several shots fired. Police arrived soon after the men fled. Police later determined a paintball gun had been fired into the store.A call for assistance went out to other police departments, and Walnutport police spotted one of the alleged thieves' vehicles on Route 145. With the help of numerous other police departments, the car was stopped in Laurys Station and its occupants Henry Clinton, Sabree Clinton, and Nyra Foster detained. A search of the car yielded the two stolen laptops.All three were charged with felony retail theft and conspiracy to commit retail theft. They were arraigned before District Judge Joseph D. Homanko Sr. of Weatherly and jailed in the Carbon County correctional facility under $100,000 straight cash bail each.Police are investigating whether the same ring was involved in the theft of electronics from the Walmart store in Hometown in August.If anyone has information regarding the location of Mitchel and Shaw, please call 911. They are considered dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone able to identity the unknown third suspect should call Mahoning Township Police at (570) 386-2241.