Man headed to jail for Macy’s coat theft in Abington
NORRISTOWN >> A Philadelphia man is on his way to jail after he admitted to taking part in a scheme to steal coats from the Macy’s store in Abington Township.
Raheem Khari Bivens, 36, of the 1900 block of Elston Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Monday to 10 to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of retail theft in connection with the Oct. 15, 2015, incident. Judge Joseph P. Walsh, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, ordered Bivens to report to jail on March 20 to begin serving the sentence.
Bivens also must complete three years’ probation following parole, meaning he’ll be under court supervision for about five years.
Bivens is eligible for the jail’s work release program during his incarceration, the judge said.
An investigation began about 8:29 p.m. when loss prevention agents at the Macy’s Willow Grove store along Moreland Road notified Abington police about a theft in progress. Loss prevention officials told police they observed a male, later identified as Bivens, and an unidentified female acting suspiciously at a coat display, according to the criminal complaint.
“The female removed anti-theft tags from the coats and Bivens collected the coats,” Abington Township Police Officer Andrew Gibbs alleged in the arrest affidavit, adding Bivens and the unidentified female carried several coats from the store without making payment.
Authorities alleged the unknown female entered a van and Bivens fled on foot in the parking lot along Old Welsh Road.
“Bivens and the female dropped the coats in the parking lot before taking flight,” Gibbs alleged, adding Bivens was apprehended by police a short time later.
Authorities recovered eight coats, valued at $1,739, from the parking lot.
Court papers did not indicate if the unidentified female was ever charged in connection with the incident.
“The female removed antitheft tags from the coats and Bivens collected the coats.” — Abington Township Police Officer Andrew Gibbs