Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Two Philadelphia men who botched a burglary at a Levittown gun shop and drew a large police response will head to state prison.
James “Unique” Townes, 23, and Ashier Williams, 22, pleaded guilty Monday to various charges including burglary and criminal trespass. Townes was sentenced to five to 10 years and William received two and a half to five years behind bars. Both will be sent to a state correctional facility.
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Townes’ criminal record includes previous convictions for robbery, burglary and drug delivery, all factoring into his more severe sentence, prosecutor Robert James said.
Police wrote in court documents that Townes and Williams arrived to Mike’s Guns and Sporting Goods on Levittown Parkway in Tullytown early February 23 and entered through a “manhole-sized” opening in the roof. Tullytown officers responded to a burglary alarm at the gun shop and spotted a man on the roof when they arrived.
After a perimeter was set up and the men disappeared into the gun shop, SWAT operators from across Lower Bucks County and a team from Philadelphia were summoned to assist at the scene, police said. James told LevittownNow.com more than 50 officers from 16 jurisdictions were part of the operation to take Townes and Williams into custody.
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SWAT operators surrounded the building for hours before making entry around 7:30 a.m. The first suspect was captured around 8:30 a.m. and the second around 10 a.m.
Police said Townes and Williams were wiggling their way back and forth between the gun and pizza shops through the vents to avoid apprehension. An official said police used hooks from local fire companies to take down the drop ceiling and access the suspects.
At arraignment, one of the suspects said they broke into the building because they wee homeless and looking for a place to stay. It turns out that excuse was not true.
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“The two defendants intended to sell the guns to a guy named ‘G’ on the streets of Philadelphia,” James said.
The damage to the building was $48,000, according to officials.
