Threats Force Postponement of Hearing for Home Invasion Suspects

Threats caused a preliminary court hearing for three men under arrest in connection with a home invasion to be delayed.

The 1 p.m. Tuesday hearings for Rasheem Wilford, 19, of Marie Lowe Drive in Bristol Township; Kenneth  Moore, 24, of Fleetwing Drive in Bristol Township and Taariq Norris, 18, also of Fleetwing Drive in Bristol Township have been move to Doylestown for security reasons. No new hearing date has been set.

Under heavy law enforcement presence, the three were brought to the courthouse of Judge Joanne Kline.

The continuance and change of venue  requests were granted by Kline and met with groans from the packed courtroom in attendance for the preliminary hearing.

“I am not intimidated and I will never be intimidated,” Kline told the packed courtroom.

Kline told LevittownNow.com she wasn’t the target of the alleged threatening comments, however the hearing was being moved due to a request by the District Attorney’s office and  representatives for or more of the defendants in the case.

“We will not tolerate threats of any kind,” Bristol Township police Lt. Terry Hughes said. He added the alleged intimidation was made indirectly.

Hughes wouldn’t comment on the specific nature of the threats nor who they were directed at.

Rakyi Richardson, 17, of Bristol Borough, was also charged in the home invasion.

According to court documents, Richardson entered a home on Mitchell Road in Bristol Township’s Bloomsdale-Fleetdale section as part of ruse to “buy weed.” Two other suspects barged into the home with handguns covered by socks. In all, four suspects made off with $2,300 and a $300 cell phone.

The two victims whipped with a handgun were treated for their injuries, police said.

As police were at the crime scene, they received information that an employee at the At&t store in the Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown had called 9-1-1 to report that two men were trying to resell the phone reported stolen. The clerk knew the phone was stolen because he had recently sold it to the victim, police said. The attempt to sell the phone was unsuccessful.

Police recovered the suspects’ getaway vehicle at the mall.

Officers began looking for the four suspects, who had split up, at about 8:25 p.m. Two suspects were captured inside the GameStop store in the mall and the other two were found on mall property.

According to court documents, each of the men had neatly folded wads of cash in their possession. Police said each man had over $400 with them, one even had the cell phone reported stolen in the home invasion. Officers found a key belonging to the Malibu on suspect Moore.

It’s the second time in four days Kline’s court was standing room only for as extra chairs were needed today for witnesses, family members, victims and the general public. A similar situation was encountered Friday when murder suspect Marcel Johnson was arraigned.

All three suspects who were in court on Tuesday are in county jail unable to post bail.