WEST POTTSGROVE >> Police have charged two people who allegedly conspired to rob a man at gunpoint last week outside a township bar.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, West Pottsgrove Police and Pottstown Police announced Friday that Darrell Johnson, 32, of North Charlotte Street, and Latia Lofton, 29, of Pleasantview Road, have been charged with robbery and related charges after police discovered the two allegedly conspired to rob a man outside the China Bar.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, West Pottsgrove Police responded to a call for an ambulance involving a gunshot victim on Aug. 20 at around 11:40 p.m. at the China Bar, 1506 W. High St. Upon arrival, police located a 48-year-old male victim with two gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to Reading Hospital Trauma Center for treatment and police spoke to Lofton who was also on the scene. Officers said she was initially uncooperative.
Police recovered two Speer .45 caliber shells and one white LG smart phone from the scene.
Officers later spoke to the victim who told them that he had been driving his girlfriend’s vehicle when he saw Lofton on Walnut Street and picked her up. After spending time at China Bar, they went outside to smoke and the victim got into the driver seat of the car. Lofton remained standing outside the car next to driver side, police said.
While speaking with each other, an unknown male approached the two with a gun and grabbed Lofton’s purse from her shoulder. The man then turned toward the victim and demanded he empty his pockets and hand over his cell phone and keys. The man then began backing away with the gun pointed at the victim and stated, “Remember me from back in the day, old head?” The victim then stated he then “knew he was going to kill him” and he grabbed a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun that was on the passenger seat and fired one or two shots at the same time the man shot at him. The victim was struck in the foot and the man ran back to his vehicle and shot again, hitting the victim in the back, according to court papers.
The victim then ran to a nearby Laundromat where he saw the man with the gun come out of the other side of the bar. The man fired at least two more shots at him and ran down High Street toward Turkey Hill.
During the course of the investigation, police said they found inconsistencies with information they received and information given by Lofton. Police then suspected she was involved in the armed robbery.
A search of Lofton’s cell phone revealed that she had been communicating with Darrell Johnson before the robbery occurred, telling him their location and instructing him to take her purse too, police said.
Surveillance footage also captured a van leaving the scene that resembled Johnson’s own vehicle.
Police later searched a residence associated with Johnson and found a black Calvin Klein wallet containing his ID, a pink Prescott box containing documents belonging to Johnson, a black holster and a Ruger P-90 .45 Caliber with a magazine and four Speer .45 caliber rounds.
Johnson and Lofton were both taken into custody on Sept. 2 and were arraigned on Sept. 9. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 4 before District Judge Scott T. Palladino. Both are being charged with robbery, conspiracy, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and theft.
Bail was set at $250,000 cash for Lofton and $500,000 cash for Johnson. They were unable to post bail and are being held at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
