Man admits robbing woman at gunpoint in Montgomery Township

“Regardless of the outcome for the sentence in this case, the defendant still has a felony conviction that will follow him for the rest of his life.” — Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Laura Bradbury “I took my sentence in stress and duress.” — Convicted robber Tajan Durham

NORRISTOWN » A Philadelphia man admitted to robbing a woman at gunpoint in Montgomery Township but avoided a potentially more severe sentence because the victim did not show up for his trial, forcing prosecutors to negotiate a plea deal.

Tajan Emmanuel Durham, 24, of the 6800 block of Dittman Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Thursday to 11 ½ months already served to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of robbery in connection with the May 3, 2016, incident during which he stole a woman’s purse, cellphone and $300 while armed with a BB gun at a location along Stump Road in Montgomery Township.

Judge Risa Vetri Ferman accepted the plea agreement under which Durham also must complete one year of probation following parole. The judge ordered Durham to have no contact with the victim and to forfeit to authorities the BB gun that was linked to the crime.

“I took my sentence in stress and duress. I’ll leave the remainder up to the district court,” Durham said as he was escorted from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies after accepting the plea deal.

Durham, who was represented by defense lawyer Elliot Marc Cohen, was expected to be released from the county jail as early as Thursday.

Durham’s guilty plea came on the day he was to face a trial on robbery- and weapons-related charges. However, the victim of the robbery did not show up for the trial.

“The reason for the negotiations was because the victim did not show up for trial this morning despite the district attorney’s efforts yesterday to get her in from out of town. She did not show up,” county Assistant District Attorney Laura Bradbury explained on Thursday. “Because of that our hands were tied in regards to what we could prove and we needed to negotiate a lesser sentence in order to ensure a conviction.

“Regardless of the outcome for the sentence in this case, the defendant still has a felony conviction that will follow him for the rest of his life,” Bradbury added.

If Durham had gone to trial and was convicted of the robbery charge he could have faced a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.

Other charges of possessing a firearm with intent to employ it criminally, theft, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and terroristic threats were dismissed against Durham as part of the plea agreement.

By pleading guilty to the robbery charge Durham admitted that he robbed the victim while armed with a BB gun and placed the victim in fear of serious bodily injury, according to testimony.

An investigation began about 10:19 p.m. May 3, 2016, when a woman “frantically” told Montgomery Township police that she was robbed at the Zehr soccer field in the 1200 block of Stump Road. The woman reported she was with Durham in a vehicle when she was forced from the car at gunpoint and then robbed of her purse, cellphone and cash.

The woman, according to the criminal complaint filed by Montgomery Township Police Officer Matthew Seydel, also told police she was forced to strip naked to make sure she didn’t have any additional cash in her possession before Durham fled the scene.

The woman told police that Durham threatened her with a gun and threatened to kill her during the incident, according to court records. The woman indicated to police that she was in fear that Durham would shoot her.

Armed with a description of the robber’s vehicle, a 2004 Saturn Vue, police caught up to Durham later in Philadelphia.