Man found guilty of armed robbery
WEST CHESTER » The gun went “click.”
It was pointed at Scott Thornton’s face, and had it gone off, the discharge would almost surely have been fatal for him. But because the gun, thought to have been a 9 mm semi-automatic, either malfunctioned or, perhaps, was not properly loaded, Thornton lived to tell the tale of what happened that October night outside his Caln home.
And tell the tale he did. Last week, Thornton testified in Chester County Common Pleas Court Judge Phyllis Streitel’s courtroom against the man police arrested and charged with the crime, a robbery that netted the gunman Thornton’s wallet containing a debit card, his identification, and around $200 in cash.
His testimony helped a jury find that man, a felon named Arron Charles Mills, guilty on counts of robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and related charges.
Mills, 26, of New Castle, Del., is being held in Chester County Prison. He will be sentenced by Streitel at a later date.
Thornton, the EMS chief of the Coatesville Fire Department, suffered only rib cage injuries in the incident, from a kick that Mills is said to have delivered as he was on his hands and knees in the driveway of his home on Skyview Lane in Thorndale.
According to the arrest affidavit filed against Mills by Caln Police Investigator James Lippolis, it was shortly before midnight on Oct. 27, 2016, and the veteran, award-winning first responder and his wife were just returning home from dinner at a local Italian restaurant. As they got out of their car, Thornton said he saw a tall man who was wearing a ski mask approach them from across the street.
The man, who was later identified as Mills, was pointing a gun at Thornton and told him, “I know you got money. Give me your wallet,” according to the affidavit. Thornton took his cellphone out of a pocket and gave it to the man, who was wearing a black shirt and gray sweatpants, hoping that would satisfy him. But the man continued to press for the wallet, and even demand to know what Thornton’s PIN number was so that he could use the debit card inside.
In the exchange, the assailant dropped the wallet and bent over to pick it up, according to the complaint. Thornton, hoping to subdue his assailant, made a move toward him. But the man reacted and pointed the gun back at Thornton, ordering him to get on the ground. When Thornton did so, as his wife watched nearby, the man kicked him in the ribs, then pointed the weapon at his head.
Thornton told police afterwards that the gun was less than a foot from his face, so close he could look down its barrel. “He thought he was going to be killed,” Lippolis wrote. But when the robber pulled the trigger, the weapon only clicked, a sound that Thornton’s wife told police she remembered hearing.
Mills, the assailant, reacted with surprise — widening his eyes at the sound — and turned and ran. Thornton gained his feet and ran after him shouting “Gun! Gun!” in hopes of waking his neighbors. Mills hopped into a waiting car, which Thornton was able to describe later to police, and drove away.
The car was stopped by Downingtown police a short time later with Mills and the driver, identified as Myles Turner, 24, of Newark, Del. Officers took the pair into custody briefly, but had to release them pending further investigation. They kept the car they were in, however, and after investigators obtained a search warrant, found Thornton’s wallet and IDs.
Mills and Turner were arrested a few days later. The gun was not recovered.
According to witnesses, they had come to Caln from Delaware at Mills’ suggestion to burglarize homes for television sets. But when Mills saw Thornton, he decided the man must have cash and changed the plans.
Turner pleaded guilty in November and testified against Mills at the trial, which lasted two days. He will be sentenced later.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Ronald Yen. Mills was represented by defense attorney Sharon Denise Alexander of Kennett Square. The jury returned with its verdict Wednesday.