Police were forced to use a taser to subdue a Falls Township man accused of robbing a 94-year-old woman inside her Levittown, Bristol Township home late Thursday night.
Patrol units were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. to Red Cedar Drive after a man reported someone tried to break into his home through a window.
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The homeowner who phoned in the attempted break-in told police the suspect was wearing a black ski mask and backpack. The man, according to court papers, said he confronted the suspect, who then ran away.
Officer Charles Winik was checking the neighborhood for the suspect when he spotted a man matching the description hop over a fence on Red Cedar Drive and hide behind a vehicle, police said. The lawman asked the suspect to show him his hands, and the suspect ran off on foot, according to court papers.
Winik deployed his taser on the suspect after he again refused orders, police said, adding the suspect actively continued to pull his arms to avoid being handcuffed.
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As police were handcuffing the suspect – identified as Jacob Greiner, 22 – a cry for help was heard coming from nearby.
“Help! Someone help!” a woman’s voice yelled, police paperwork said.
Authorities spoke with the 94-year-old who was yelling, and she said a man wearing a black ski mask entered her home and demanded money. According to court paperwork, she gave him $40.
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Footprints in the snow lead from the crime scene to the fence where Greiner was first spotted by Winik, police said. The home where the 94-year-old woman lives and the house where Greiner reportedly tried to break into are next to each other.
Greiner is charged with robbery, burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. He was arraigned early Friday morning and remanded to county jail in lieu of bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
