Police send parolee back to prison after robbery
PHOENIXVILLE » A recently paroled Phoenixville man has been charged by police after he allegedly tried to steal a car and assaulted two people.
Police said in a post Wednesday that they responded to a home on the 200 block of St. Mary’s Street for a report of a disturbance around 6:07 p.m. on Jan. 15. When police arrived, they learned that Leali Earl Perkins, 29, of Phoenixville, who was recently paroled from state prison in December, had been in an argument with his mother and step-father when he shoved both of them.
Police issued Perkins a summons for harassment.
Later, at 6:58 p.m., Perkins walked down to the 200 block of High Street and tried to steal a car, police allege. Police say Perkins broke the driver’s side window out of the car and got inside. While Perkins was trying to hot wire the car, a 37-year-old Phoenixville man got into the passenger side without realizing Perkins was in the car.
Perkins then allegedly started punching the passenger and placed him in a choke hold while demanding the car keys. The victim’s step-father, 58, of West Chester, saw what was happening and tried to stop the attack but Perkins punched him in the face and knocked him out, police said.
Perkins took off on foot when he saw the police arrive and the officers could not locate him.
The victim picked Perkins out of a photo line-up and Officer Matthew Fusco obtained an arrest warrant for him on assault and robbery charges.
Perkins showed up for a scheduled parole meeting with his parole officer at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Norristown and was taken into custody, police said. He was sent back to Graterford Prison where he will be held until his preliminary hearing on the charges.