A Foot Locker store in North Olden Avenue in Ewing was robbed last Friday. The robbery occurred around 2:30 in the afternoon. According to the reports, the suspected entered the store handed a note to an employee that read “Don’t make this a homicide”. Once the employee read the note he fled out the rear of the store through a rear stock room. The only other individual in the store was a customer who to fled the store. Once the store was empty, the suspect smashed both registers. Once he removed both cash draws he fled the store with cash draws in hand. The Ewing Police Department is asking for the public’s help to catch the suspect. The entire incident has been captured on surveillance video. Here is a clip of the surveillance footage courtesy of the Trentonian.
If the Ewing Police Department apprehends the suspect, he will most likely be charged with one count of robbery in the first degree, once count of theft in the third degree, one count of terroristic threats in the third degree and criminal mischief in the third degree. The robbery charge is the most serious offenses here. Based on the fact that the suspected threatened the immediate use of a deadly weapon, the robbery charge will most likely be a first degree felony. The offense of robbery in essence occurs when a Defendant uses or threatens to use force in order to commit a theft. Most robbery charges second degree felony offenses in New Jersey unless one of the following occurs:
- The actor attempts to kill anyone,
- Purposely inflicts or attempts to inflict serious bodily injury; or
- Is armed with, or uses or threatens the immediate use of a deadly weapon.
A first degree felony robbery charge is punishable by anywhere from ten to twenty years in a State Prison, a fine up to $200,000 and a felony criminal record. In addition, robbery, regardless of the degree, will fall under the No Early Release Act (NERA). Anyone convicted of one of the enumerated offenses under NERA will be required to do at least 85% of their sentence before they can become eligible for parole. So, if someone is sentenced to a ten year prison sentence pursuant to the No Early Release Act, they will have to serve 8 1/2 years before they can become eligible for parole. Conversely, someone sentenced to that same ten year term without NERA applying could be eligible for parole in less than two years. For more information on robbery charges in New Jersey, please click the link.
Ewing NJ Robbery Charges
As you can tell, robbery charges are very serious offenses in New Jersey. If you have been arrested and charged with theft of moveable property, robbery, burglary, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or any other offense for that matter in Mercer County, the criminal lawyers at Keith Oliver Criminal Law can help. We defend clients accused of crimes in towns throughout New Jersey, including Ewing, Trenton, Lawrenceville, Robbinsville, West Windsor, East Windsor and Hamilton. For a free initial consultation today, please contact our office directly at 609-789-0779 or leave us an email.
