A request for the mugshot of 22-year-old Nazear Newton has been placed with the Hatfield Township Police Department. We will swap the image if/when re
UPDATE: Dec. 1, 2:22 p.m.: The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office has responded to our inquiry about the bail being set at $77.
Per the DA's office, the $77 bail is a code, of sorts, that there is a detainer out for the defendant. In this case, Newton, who was sentenced to 4-to-8-years in prison on a 2017 robbery conviction, was paroled earlier this year and was on parole at the time of his November arrest. As such, a detainer was filed by the parole board, and when his $77 bail was posted on Nov. 18, Newton was taken into custody on the parole detainer.
Nazear Newton, 22, has been charged with felony counts of robbery, aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license, as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats, attempted theft by7 unlawful taking and related offenses, in connection with the investigation by the Hatfield Township Police Department.
Police were dispatched to the area of South Main Street and Blaine Avenue in Hatfield on Nov. 2 at 10:36 p.m. for a report of a possible shooting. The 9-1-1 caller told county dispatch that there were two white women in the road picking up their purses and personal belongings, and a Black male was laying injured in the road.
The caller reported that one of the women stated “He just tried to shoot us,” and a handgun was lying in the street, according to the criminal complaint. Police arrived to the scene and located the handgun and some personal items on Blaine Avenue, however the two women and the Black male were no longer on scene, the report states.
Approximately one hour later, Hatfield Township Police were dispatched to Abington Lansdale Hospital for a report of a Black male who had been brought to the emergency room with head trauma. The report states the male — later identified as Newton — was taken to the emergency room by his fiancé, who said he entered her home complaining of head pain and throwing up. The fiancé said Newton did not provide a reason for the injuries, according to the complaint.
Newton was subsequently intubated and transported to Abington Main due to the severity of his injuries, police said.
Two days later, the fiancé reported to police that her handgun was missing. The woman told police that she kept it hidden, and she didn’t think Newton knew about it or its location. The report states the missing firearm matched the firearm that was recovered on Blaine Street on the night of the incident.
On Nov. 10, investigators spoke with one of the women — identified as Victim 1 — involved in the incident, who said that she and a female friend — identified as Victim 2 — had received a call from Newton to hang out on the evening on Nov. 2, police said. The woman stated that the three of them drove around for a while, with Victim 2 driving and Newton in the back seat, the report states.
Police allege that as the women drove to drop off Newton, he reportedly pulled a handgun and pointed it at the head of Victim 2, who was driving. Newton allegedly threatened to shoot Victim 2, then climbed on top of Victim 1 in the front passenger’s seat, pistol whipped Victim 1, then grabbed the women’s purses and jumped out of the moving vehicle, according to the complaint.
As Newton laid injured in the street, the two victims grabbed their purses and some of their personal items, then drove away, police said.
Newton was arraigned on Nov. 15 by District Judge Richard Welsh, who set bail at $77* cash. Court records show Newton’s fiancé posted his bail on Nov. 18, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Dec. 15 at 1:30 p.m. in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
*Though court records reflect bail of $77 for Newton, we have reached out to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for confirmation, as the figure seems unusual and low. We are awaiting their confirmation.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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