Police: Shoplifting Teen Resisted Arrest

A teen-ager from the Marvine-Pembroke section of the city who was about to be busted on a minor shoplifting charge allegedly compounded his legal troubles by struggling to escape arrest on Wednesday.

English Pearson, 18, of 656 Ramblewood Lane, Bethlehem, is alleged to have shoplifted a bag of potato chips and two candy bars at the Friendly Food Mart, 1505 Pembroke Road, on Sunday afternoon, according to court records.

On Wednesday, Pearson allegedly returned shortly after noon and took a pack of gum. But this time, store employee Shirish Patel stopped and detained Pearson before he could escape and called police to the scene, court papers say.

Patel told responding Bethlehem Police Officer Nicholas Lechman that he had witnessed surveillance video in which Pearson had put the potato chips and candy bars in his pants during the Sunday visit, the warrant says.

When Lechman told Pearson that he was under arrest, the teen-ager tried to run out the front door of the market, the arrest affidavit says. A struggle ensued inside and right outside the store before Pearson was able to run east, but only briefly, as he slipped and fell in a nearby grassy area and was quickly apprehended.

Pearson is facing a second-degree misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest in addition to a summary charge of retail theft. He was arraigned before and released on $2,500 unsecured bail.