North Penn students charged in Bristol Twp. armed robbery

Posted: Friday, June 27, 2014 

Two North Penn High School students — ages 15 and 16 — have been charged with a June 21 gunpoint robbery of a Bristol Township drug store.

DeSean Williams, 15, of Croydon, was arrested Thursday on charges of felony robbery and conspiracy, as well as misdemeanor simple assault, reckless endangering and possession of an instrument of crime. He was arraigned before District Judge Mark Douple and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $150,000 bail.

As of Friday afternoon, Bristol Township police were still looking for his 16-year-old alleged accomplice, Anthony Purnell, of Lansdale, Lt. Terry Hughes said. An arrest warrant was issued for Purnell on the same charges as Williams faces.

The teens are charged as adults, police said.

DeSean Williams

The robbery occurred at the CVS pharmacy in the 800 block of Bristol Pike around 8:30 p.m. when the two entered the store wearing hooded sweatshirts, sunglasses and blue latex gloves, police said.

They each pulled out a handgun and pointed them at employees before demanding money, police said.

Purnell, wearing a blue “North Penn” backpack, ran behind the counter, forced the employee to open the cash register and took $300 before leaving the store with Williams, police said.

Williams pointed his gun at a customer in the store’s vestibule and ordered her to move while they were running out but no one was injured, according to a probable cause affidavit.

A store employee told police that the same boys were in the store two hours before the robbery.

Police took surveillance photos of the suspects to North Penn High School, where staff identified them as students there, police said. North Penn High School said DeSean’s contact information lists his address as in Croydon, which is around the corner from the CVS, police said.

Police did not know why Williams attended North Penn High School.

Police checked home surveillance footage from one of Williams’ neighbors the night of the robbery that showed two young males walking from Williams’ house toward the CVS just before the robbery. Shortly after the robbery, the same two males were captured running toward Nancy Drive, where Williams lives, court documents show.

Police said they executed a search warrant at Williams’ home Wednesday and recovered a loaded .22-caliber handgun in DeSean’s bedroom, as well as clothing worn by the two during the robbery and the blue “North Penn” book bag.

DeSean Williams was taken into custody. In a police interview, with his father present, DeSean allegedly admitted that he and Purnell had planned the CVS robbery a couple days earlier.

He told police that he stole his mother’s .22-caliber handgun and gave his father’s replica pellet handgun to Purnell to use during the robbery, the affidavit shows.

Before the robbery, Williams said the two went to the CVS to see how many employees were working, then returned to Williams’ house to change clothes.

Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia