A 19-year-old Pottsville man was jailed Thursday, charged by city police with a robbery earlier that morning.
Police said Timothy Harris Jr., 404 Washington St., was arraigned on charges of robbery, assault, theft, receiving stolen property and possessing instruments of crime.
According to police, officers received a report about 12:40 a.m. of an armed robbery. Police said a 36-year-old Mohnton man went to the area of Baber and Washington streets to buy a television set advertised for sale on the website Craigslist for $550. When the man arrived at the scene about 12:30 a.m. to meet the seller, he was met by a man with a gun wearing a black ski mask and black jacket.
Police said the victim reported being led to the 300 block of Baber Street, where the man pointed a handgun at him and demanded his money, cellphone and credit cards.
The victim told officers he turned over $559 in cash along with his credit cards and an HTC cellphone valued at $700. After getting the items, the armed man fled on Baber Street onto the 400 block of Washington Street, where he was seen running behind 404 Washington St., police said.
Officers talked to a resident of 404 Washington St., who told them his roommate was inside acting "really strange and nervous," police said.
Officers entered the property, found Harris and, after obtaining consent to search the residence along with Harris' room, saw a black Taurus pellet gun that looked identical to a semiautomatic firearm.
Officers obtained a search warrant and during a subsequent search, the weapon was recovered along with a black ski mask, a black hooded jacket and blue jeans that matched the clothing that the victim described to officers at the scene, police said.
Harris was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $50,000 straight cash bail. He will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing before Reiley in his Pottsville courtroom.
