Judge finds cellphone thief guilty of extortion

NORRISTOWN » A Pottstown man was convicted of charges he secretly stole a cellphone from a patron at a borough restaurant and then tried to extort cash from the woman when she sought to have the phone returned.

Shawn Jamel Jones, 43, of the 200 block of York Street, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of charges of theft by extortion, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property in connection with the December 2016 incident in Pottstown. The jury rendered the verdict after a oneday, non-jury trial before county Judge Joseph P. Walsh.

Jones was remanded to the county jail without bail to await a sentencing hearing. Jones faces a possible maximum sentence of eight to 16 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentenc-

ing guidelines could allow for less jail time.

The victim told Pottstown police that she was at the Brick House restaurant on East High Street on Dec. 14 with her husband when she noticed her cellphone was missing from the bar top where she had placed it, according to the criminal complaint. When the couple got home they called the cellphone and an unknown male answered, stated he had the phone and demanded $50 for its return, court documents indicate.

The couple then contacted police.

With the knowledge of police, the victim’s husband called the cellphone a second time and the unknown male who answered upped the price for the return of the phone to $100 and sought to set up a meeting in the borough, according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Police Officer Jacob Martin.

The victim’s husband contacted the unknown male a third time and agreed to meet the unknown male at North Hanover and Beech streets.

“The unknown male increased his price yet again to $120 in exchange for the phone,” Martin alleged in the arrest affidavit, adding the victim’s husband was driven to the meeting place, in his personal vehicle, by an undercover police officer.

Other officers were in the area to intercept the suspect.

While at the intersection, the victim’s husband called the cellphone for a final time and the unknown male now demanded $150 for the return of the phone, police said. A short time later, Jones approached the vehicle at which time police ordered him to the ground and took him into custody, according to court documents.

Police found the victim’s cellphone lying next to Jones.

Jones also was convicted of a charge he gave police false identification when he was taken into custody.