Crime & Safety
D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery at Lord & Taylor Involving Stun Gun
A security guard at the Mall in Columbia store helped capture the robber as police arrived.
A stun gun-wielding robber pleaded guilty to a robbery at Lord & Taylor inside The Mall in Columbia at Howard County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Michael Penny, also known as Jimmie James Williams, of Washington D.C., was arrested on Nov. 26 after he stole several watches from a display case inside the store, according to court documents relating the events. A security guard, Craig Mathew, spotted Penny taking the watches and pursued him outside the store, where Penny pulled out a stun gun and threatened Mathew.
During a struggle, Mathew knocked the stun gun from Penny's hand, then Penny bit Mathew and attempted to flee, according to the documents. Police arrived around 7:30 p.m. to find Mathew still chasing Penny, at which point Penny was arrested.
Police said they found watches valued at a total of $1817.90 on Penny.
A sentencing date for Penny is set for Aug. 28, where prosecutors are expected to ask for a 10-year-prison sentence, according to Wayne Kirwan, a spokesperson for the Howard County state's attorney's office.
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