Lancaster man pleads guilty in shooting of security officer www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LANCASTER, Pa.September 19 2012

A Lancaster man has pleaded guilty to attempted homicide and other charges related to the shooting of a store security officer nearly two years ago.

Kenneth Peralta, 40, also pleaded guilty Monday to counts of robbery, retail theft, and firearms offenses.

His sentencing is scheduled for November 9.

Peralta and another man were suspected of stealing razor blades in November of 2010 when they were stopped by security officer Brian Fantom at the Weis store in East Lampeter Township.

Authorities said Peralta pulled a handgun and repeatedly struck Fantom on the head before firing a bullet into his lower back and a second shot that grazed his head.

Peralta’s co-defendant, Luis Daniel Cora-Romero of Lancaster, is awaiting trial on robbery and conspiracy charges.

Police have said the men were planning to trade the stolen razor blades for drugs.

Source:  WHTM

Man accused of shooting store security officer headed to trial www.privateofficer.com

Lancaster PA Sept 30 2011 Four months after being captured in New York, Kenneth Peralta is headed to trial for allegedly shooting a local Weis Markets’ employee who tried to thwart a theft.

Peralta waived a preliminary hearing Thursday morning, and his case was ordered to trial.

That will likely take place next year, unless a guilty plea is made.

Peralta is charged with attempted homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, and related charges for the Nov. 21, 2010 incident at the Bridgeport supermarket.

Peralta, 38, allegedly shot Brian Fantom, the store’s security officer, while fleeing the store with stolen items.

On Thursday, constables escorted Peralta into a holding cell inside District Judge Denise Commins’ office, shackled and handcuffed.

After a 30-minute chat in the cell with his attorney Merrill Spahn, Peralta agreed to waive all charges to Lancaster County court.

By waiving, Peralta isn’t admitting to a crime. Rather, he waived the right to challenge that there is a sufficient basis for the charges.

He was then taken back to Lancaster County Prison on $1 million bail.

Fantom, a married father of two young children, chased down and tackled Peralta in the parking lot of Weis Markets on Lincoln Highway East when shots were fired, police reported.

Fantom also was pistol-whipped, police said.

He was then shot in the stomach; the bullet narrowly missed his spine.

Peralta was on the run for months after the incident. He was picked up on May 27 in New York City, officials said.

Source:lancasteronline.com