Guilty Verdict for Starbucks Robber
Hassan Grimes robbed a woman at gunpoint behind the Wayne Starbucks, a jury found.
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It was a crime that took Wayne by surprise and scared many mothers who take their children to the Starbucks.
On the morning of May 5, a Berwyn woman says she was robbed at gunpoint while she was about to put her one year old daughter into her car behind the Starbucks in Wayne. She said a man approached her from behind, holding her arms and putting a gun to her face.
On January 13, a jury in Delaware County's Court of Common Pleas found that that robber was Hassan Grimes, who was seen on surveillance cameras using credit cards taken from the women’s purse to buy gift cards from a Target on Baltimore Pike in Springfield shortly after the robbery.
Grimes was found guilty of Robbery, a felony of the first degree, Theft by Unlawful Taking, a felony of the third degree, Forgery, Access Device Fraud, Simple Assault, and Unlawful Restraint, according to Erica Parham, Assistant District Attorney in the Delaware County District Attorney's office.
The jury found Grimes not guilty of indecent assault and terroristic threats, Parham said.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 1.
Parham said that they will seek the five-year mandatory minimum sentence on the charge of Robbery. Parham represented the Commonwealth at trial.
The trial started with jury selection on Tuesday, January 10 and ended with the Commonwealth's closing argument on January 13. The jury returned a verdict after nearly two hours of deliberation.
Tony Ercole
6:08 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thjat's all? Five years? Are you kidding? TWENTY.......MINIMUM!
Observer
7:07 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Radnor Police and the Delaware County DA's office are to be commended for their combined excellent efforts in this matter. A woman and her 1 year old child were victims of a horrific crime that could have been much worse. Crimes can and do occur in Wayne, along the Mainline, and anywhere else where criminals like this individual attempt to terrorize innocent people like this woman and her child. It is a sad commentary on our society. Hopefully this criminal is sentenced for longer than the minimum of the 5 years mentioned above. Kudos again to the Radnor Police and the DA's office.
Interested
8:41 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Five years is a crime. Given the uptick of crimes in Wayne, a clear message needs to be sent. Having served in a trial in Delaware County, the mix of jurors just want to get out of their duty, and if they serve, they want the trial to be short.
David Richards
5:32 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Don't give the po po any credit. The Cameras solve the crime!
Observer
8:45 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Radnor police did a great job. More than just the cameras that got the guilty verdict.
David Richards
10:31 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
@ Observer...BUll S&*T, paper work is all they had to do. Police did not see credit cards being use, the cameras did, u a*s.
Observer
5:05 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Very familiar with the case and what they did - obtaining the shoe print, obtaining witness testimony, criminal confession, etc. Not sure why you have an axe to grind, but they did a good job here. Sorry that you feel that way.
unfair
11:08 pm on Saturday, March 3, 2012
You are not familiar with the case, if you were you would know that the shoe print DID NOT MATCH nor did the Fingerprint, since you are soo familiar you also know that NO ONE could point him out and also the person did not know whether the car door was unlock which she left her expensive pocket in plain view in her car. Yes, my heart goes out to anyone who has been robbed, I was robbed before. Would it have been in the newspapers if she was black and he was white. I don't usually read this type of stuff. Also how could you be put in a full nelson and hold a child. I am a mother also and I don't see it. There is alot of doubt, I think they pinned everything on one guy. Dont be black and get in trouble in Delaware county because there are two laws out here... I never been in trouble but I sat and watched the system.
David Richards
8:46 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
@Observer, obtaining the shoe print, obtaining witness testimony, criminal confession, came after the cameras shows the suspect. The camera capture the suspect!!!! I'm done with this. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Friend
8:51 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Unfortunately, Hassan was already guilty in their eyes. He did not have a fair trial that focused solely on facts and not what the media broadcasted over and over. What happened to that mother was wrong, Hassan using the cards was wrong as well, but pending a robbery on him when the evidence did not place him at the scene is pitiful. For the life of me I can't understand why his lawyer never filed a motion to have this case tried in a different county. Maybe he would have received a fair and just trial. Hassan made the wrong choice and unfortunately he is paying for his crime and someone else. He has plenty of people who believe in him and when he does get out of prison he will do great things. This will only make his testimony stronger and you will see his name again in a positive light.