A Perkasie man has pleaded guilty to punching a female store clerk who requested that he wear a mask inside of the store during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of a negotiated plea agreement with Bucks County prosecutors, 26-year-old Elijah Brown pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and a misdemeanor count of defiant trespassing. Summary counts of harassment and criminal mischief, as well as a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest were withdrawn as part of the agreement.
Brown was initially charged with one felony count of aggravated assault, however that charge was later reduced to a second count of misdemeanor simple assault.
Following his plea, Brown was sentenced to time served along with one years’ probation. Court records indicate that Brown failed to post bail on May 8, 2020, and was confined until Nov. 19, 2020, when his bail was reduced and posted.
According to a release from the Perkasie Borough Police Department, police were dispatched to Olde Towne Convenience Store along the 500 block of West Walnut Street on May 8, 2020, for a report of an assault. Upon arrival, police encountered the victim, who stated that she was repeatedly punched in the face by a male customer after she asked him to follow the posted signs regarding wearing a mask while inside the store, police said.
The victim stated that the suspect — later identified Brown — fled the business on foot, and the report indicates that Brown was later located by police and taken into custody following a foot pursuit.
While in custody, Brown also used his knee to strike an officer, police said.
In a report by Bob Keeler at The Reporter, Keeler wrote that when Brown entered the store, he was rambling about using martial law and using foul language. The report adds that the victim suffered a swollen left cheek and blood under her lip as a result of the assault.
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