Couple held at gunpoint, man pistol-whipped in Paradise Township robbery, police say
Police say the group took $80 in cash and a safe packed with jars of weed from a home, although the safe and weed were later recovered nearby.
Ted CzechA Paradise Township couple were held at gunpoint — and the man pistol-whipped —after a group tricked them into opening their front door in Paradise Township on Sunday morning, according to charging documents.
Northern York County Regional Police say the group robbed the couple of $80 and a safe that was packed with jars of marijuana.
The alleged getaway driver, Zackary Michael Moreno, was arrested in his car in Paradise Township, while Moika Christopher Nduku and Rena Victoria Hallamon were arrested in York.
Nduku and Hallamon face numerous charges, including robbery, aggravated assault and theft, while Moreno faces conspiracy to commit those alleged crimes.
As of Monday, Nduku and Hallamon remained in York County Prison on $150,000 bail. Moreno was also there on $50,000 bail.
All three are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 24 before District Judge
Thomas J Reilly.
A fourth, unidentified accomplice has not been arrested, documents state.
Suspicious driver on Route 30
About 1:50 a.m. on Sunday, a Northern Regional officer responded to Route 30 and North School House Road in Paradise Township for a suspicious vehicle parked on the side of the road. A witness said the male driver was in and out of the car several times, including moving items around in the trunk.
When the officer arrived, he found a white Mercedes-Benz C300 with its four-way emergency flashers on and Moreno at the wheel. Moreno appeared nervous and details about where he had come from and where he was headed appeared a bit sketchy, documents state.
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The officer released Moreno, but then pulled him over a second time in the area of Route 30 and South Ridge Road because Moreno was near the area of an alleged assault in the 7100 block of Lincoln Highway (Route 30) in Paradise Township.
Meanwhile, other officers went to the alleged crime scene and spoke with victims Jacob Myers Patterson and Tasha Shepp.
Knock at the door
Patterson said about 1:50 a.m., a man, later identified as Moreno, knocked on his door and asked for help in fixing a flat tire. Patterson agreed and brought a jack outside, but when he did, Moreno asked to use the bathroom.
"Jacob advised at this point he knew something was wrong," documents state.
At that point, three people in masks jumped out of the bushes near his home and attacked him, striking him in the back of the head with a pistol, which opened a large cut. He also was struck with another object.
The three then forced him inside his home at gunpoint and demanded the location of his safe.
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Shepp, who is Patterson's girlfriend, also was held at gunpoint, but managed to call 911 on a cellphone.
"Tasha and Jacob both thought they were going to be killed and were in fear for their life during this incident," according to documents.
The masked assailants took $80 in cash from Patterson's wallet and then ran away with the safe, which contained six Mason jars full of weed. During their investigation, police found the safe, along with the weed inside, in the couple's yard, documents state.
Collection on a debt?
Moreno later spoke with police, telling them that Nduku, a former co-worker, asked him to drive him to Patterson and Shepp's home "to obtain money that someone owes him," documents state.
"Zackary advised that Chris told him (he) would receive 25% if he drove all four to this address," documents state.
Moreno said he was surprised when, after he arrived at Patterson's home and asked for help, that the others jumped out of the bushes and began their attack.
"Zackary stated that as he ran away from this address he stated 'I hope you're okay,' and arrived back at his vehicle and drove away," according to documents.
Later that day, Northern Regional police then contacted York City Police, because Moreno had said Nduku and Hallamon lived together in the 500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.
York City Police arrived at the house and arrested Hallamon and Nduku.
Ted Czech is a multi-platform crime/emergency journalist with The York Daily Record. He can be reached at tczech@ydr.com, at 717-771-2033 or on Twitter at @TedCzechYDR