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Crime & Safety

Third Man to Face Trial in Emmaus Bank Robbery

Videos, courtroom testimony detail events of dramatic Dec. 30 heist.

After two previous delays, drama of the Dec. 30 Emmaus bank heist unfolded in a Lehigh County Courtroom today complete with videos of a teller being pistol-whipped, gunfire from a get-away car and a police vehicle striking a suspect.

When the almost 2 1/2-hour preliminary hearing ended, a judge ruled that Isaah J. Sampson will face trial on all eight charges against him. The two other suspects in the KNBT Bank robbery,  Hishamu T. Curry, 35, of Philadelphia and Edward Anthony Maye, also known as Andre Sheppard, 32, of 446 E. Lexington St., Allentown, previously waived identical charges to court.

Charges against Sampson, 22, of 903 N. Front St., Allentown, include attempted criminal homicide, robbery and aggravated assault. Following testimony, defense attorney Mariana Rossman of Philadelphia asked that charges of attempted criminal homicide and a person not to possess a firearm be dropped. She said the commonwealth had not shown an intent to kill, noting police testimony that shots fired struck the police car's headlight or lower, not the windshield.

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"The intent of, whoever it was, to shoot at the vehicle was to stop the vehicle, not kill," she argued.

But Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles F. Gallagher III disagreed. "It's clear to me the intent of this defendant was to hit the officer," he said, suggesting the shots only coincidentally landed low and off-target.

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Rossman also argued that witnesses did not prove that Sampson, who was not permitted to carry a weapon because of prior offenses, possessed a gun.

Senior District Judge John Dugan denied Rossman's motion for dismissal, believing there was sufficient evidence to send all eight charges to court.

A preliminary hearing is not held to determine guilt, but only to ascertain whether enough evidence exists against a suspect to hold them for trial.

Rossman also attempted to call into question whether Sampson was the third robber, noting that police had detained other men thought to be involved but later released.

She also made much of the testimony that the three robbers wore masks and whether identity could be certain. Several testifying officers said they did not see masks either left behind in the get-away car or being worn by men fleeing.

However, Emmaus Sgt. Timothy Hoats said a mask was found in Sampson's sweatshirt pocket when the suspect's clothes were removed. Hoats further outlined how a clothing match was achieved. He said he compared bank surveillance pictures to photos taken of Sampson at police headquarters. He said Sampson wore a blue zippered sweatshirt and sweatpants with the identifiable Champion brand logo visible.

Video cameras inside the bank at 235 Main St. show that events began at 9:16 a.m. Two robbers wearing ski masks, overcoats and dark clothing" went to the teller windows and another approached Assistant Branch Manager Michelle Andrews as she exited her office to investigate, Andrews testified.

The third man stuck a gun against her side and walked Andrews to the vault, she said. Meanwhile, one man jumped a counter and began to clean out one of the cash drawers. Another told an additional teller to clean out her drawer. Unbeknown to the robbers, a device was dropped into one of the bags to track the money.

Andrews said she told the gunman with her that she did not know the safe's combination. A teller was called over to assist, and Andrews was struck across the forehead with the butt of the gun, knocking her to the floor. When that teller's attempts failed, a second teller also was told to open the vault, but she also could not.

"One of the guys said, 'Two, three seconds more [and] I'm going to start shooting,' " Andrews testified, but the robbers left without shooting inside the bank. They got no money from the vault but obtained an estimated $13,000 from the cash drawers. The robbery was over by 9:20, the video showed.

Emmaus officer William Bryfogle said he drove to the rear of the bank after a radio dispatch said a man reported three masked men in the bank. He saw a vehicle leaving the bank and gave chase. A video from his dashboard camera captured events and was shown in court.

Bryfogle said he was shot at three times at Keystone Avenue and Main Street. He said several more shots were fired at him from a rear passenger window, and he rammed the vehicle to try to get it to stop. Three men exited the car and ran near First and Main streets.

Emmaus Sgt. Troy Schantz next testified that he responded to the bank to assist, then proceeded to First and Main for the chase. His dashboard camera video also was shown and captured the scene of Schantz's car striking a man identified as suspect Maye with the hood of his car and knocking him to the ground. Schantz said he saw a second suspect flee from a rear passenger seat. Police contend that rear passenger was Sampson.

Sampson eventually was captured near the Second Street railroad crossing, according to testimony.

The third suspect, Curry, was not captured until hours later in Allentown. The search prompted a lockdown of a few blocks in an area near the bank.

Following Sampson's hearing today, the three suspects remain in custody awaiting trial on $2 million bail each.

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