Erie man waives charges in phone theft cases
Tim Hahn @ETNHahn
He is accused of stealing cellphones from people who listed them for sale online.
An Erie man accused of stealing cellphones listed for sale online from a series of victims over eight months in 2018 has waived criminal charges to court in three of the cases.
Deshaundre J. Williams, 20, waived his preliminary hearings in those cases during an appearance before Erie 2nd Ward District Judge Paul Urbaniak on Friday. He waived to court a third-degree felony count of robbery in an incident from June 16; a second-degree misdemeanor count of theft in a separate incident from June 16; and a second-degree misdemeanor count of theft from an incident from May 20.
Williams waived to court felony robbery charges in two other cases, from Nov. 22 and Dec. 11, at his preliminary hearings before Erie 3rd Ward District Judge Tom Carney on Jan. 3. He is scheduled to return to court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing on charges including felony robbery in an incident from Nov. 19.
Williams is currently serving three years of probation that he was sentenced to in November after pleading guilty in September to misdemeanor theft charges in three other Erie police cases. He was accused in those cases of stealing cellphones from victims who listed the items for sale on Facebook in late May and early June.
Tim Hahn can be reached at 870-1731 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNhahn.