Knife-wielding robber headed to prison
NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man who robbed someone at knife-point while they were changing a tire is headed to prison.
Mark Coleman, 50, of the 700 block of Violet Street, Norristown, has pleaded guilty to a second degree felony charge of robbery with bodily injury. Montgomery County Court Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced Coleman to two to six years at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. He’ll receive credit for time already served between Dec. 30, 2016 to Sept. 12, 2017. He’s also been ordered to pay $1,000 to his victim in restitution within the first 27 months of his release from custody and will have no contact with the victim.
On Dec. 24, 2016, at 1:25 a.m., Norristown Police were called to the 400 block of East Marshall Street for a report of a knife-point robbery. The victim told police he was changing a tire on his car in front of a building along the 500 block of East Marshall Street when he was robbed, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The victim said his early model white Ford Explorer was parked curbside in front of the building when a black man holding a knife demanding to money and the victim’s cell phone before fleeing on foot west along
the 500 block of East Marshall Street. He then turned north up the drive entrance to a property along that block. The victim told police he lost sight of the man at the top of the driveway, the affidavit states.
The victim was unsure which direction the man came from and couldn’t describe the type of knife he was threatened with. He said the man was wearing all dark clothing, was approximately 40-50 years old, tall and had a medium build. He said he believes he knows the man lives in the area but didn’t know his name. He pointed out a property along the 700 block of Violet Street as a possible address. The victim said it was a local man who cleans cars in the alley next to his home. The man got away with $1,000 in cash and a black Samsung Galaxy cell phone, according to charging documents.
On Monday, Dec. 26, 2016, Norristown Police initiated a canvass of the neighborhood surrounding the 500 block of East Marshall Street. Through that investigation, residents told police that a black man named “Mark” washes cars and that he lives on Violet Street. One resident said the man’s last name was Coleman, according to charging documents.
Three days later the victim came to the police station and gave a written statement about the incident. He said he knows the man from the neighborhood and that he washed his car before. He’s seen the man walk his dog on occasion. The victim then picked Coleman out of a group of photos and positively identified him as the person who robbed him, according to charging documents.