Wellsburg man charged with robbery, other crimes after armed holdup near Lawrenceville
A Wellsburg man faces multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after police accused him of holding up a Tioga County, Pennsylvania adult outlet at gunpoint.
The incident took place around 9:45 p.m. June 18 at Adult World on state Route 287 in Lawrence Township, just south of Lawrenceville, according to Pennsylvania State Police at Mansfield.
The store manager, the only employee in the business at the time, told responding troopers the suspect, later identified as 33-year-old Joshua Tagliaboski, fled in an unknown direction.
The manager said the suspect came into the store around 9:15 p.m., and again around 9:30 p.m. and asked about MIT 45 capsules (kratom plant extract), according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The suspect then walked around the corner of the checkout counter, pulled out a black pistol, and ordered the manager to give him all the money in the cash register and his pockets, the affidavit stated.
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The suspect also allegedly punched the store manager in the throat and pointed the gun at his head, saying he was lucky (the suspect) didn't blow his head off, according to the affidavit.
The suspect then made off with more than $150 in cash and 11 MIT 45 capsules from the shelf behind the counter, state police said. Surveillance video from the scene confirmed the manager's account.
State police circulated a still shot photo of the suspect from the video among multiple law enforcement agencies in the region, and an investigator from the New York State Police barracks in Horseheads identified Tagliaboski as the suspect, the affidavit stated.
State police at Mansfield charged Tagliaboski with robbery and making terroristic threats, both felonies, along with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person, theft by unlawful taking, possession of a weapon, receiving stolen property, and two counts of simple assault.
Tagliaboski was arraigned June 28 in Magisterial District Court in Elkland and committed to the Tioga County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira area man charged with robbery in Tioga County, Pa.
