A Syracuse, New York woman has been sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in Montgomery County jail after pleading guilty to felony aggravated assault of a police officer and retail theft, closing out a case that began with a shoplifting run at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets more than five years ago. Isophine Butts, 50, admitted to driving at a Limerick officer and fleeing during the April 2021 incident, which also included a high-speed chase and a crash with a police cruiser.
According to The Mercury, Judge Risa Vetri Ferman accepted a plea agreement in the case. As part of the deal, Butts was ordered to complete one year of probation consecutive to parole, which the outlet reports means she will remain under court supervision for about three years. She was also ordered to pay $751 in restitution and to stay away from the Limerick outlets.
A Theft at Tommy Hilfiger Turns Into a Police Chase
The case traces back to about 5:15 p.m. on April 7, 2021, when Limerick police responded to a report of a theft in progress at the Tommy Hilfiger store at the outlet mall. Witnesses said a male and female suspect concealed six sale items valued at $314 in a shopping bag before leaving the store without paying, according to the criminal complaint filed by Limerick Police Sgt. Patrick Roche.
A criminal complaint filed by Limerick police Sgt. Patrick Roche alleges that as an officer ran toward the suspects' vehicle, Butts drove at him. “The female drove at (the officer) just striking his leg with the front corner,” Roche alleged, according to the same account. Roche further alleged that the vehicle's open passenger door struck the officer's arms as he tried to shield himself from it. The officer was treated for arm pain and a contusion.
Speeds Topped 80 MPH Before a Crash With a Cruiser
After striking the officer, Butts fled the scene at a high rate of speed while her male passenger was arrested there and charged with retail theft. Police pursued Butts onto Lightcap Road, Evergreen Road and east on West Ridge Pike before calling off the chase because of traffic congestion, the article notes.
Officers from Upper Providence and Collegeville later spotted Butts’s vehicle traveling in excess of 80 mph during the evening rush hour on Route 29. A Collegeville officer reported, per the criminal complaint, that Butts crashed into the front of his police car while trying to flee, damaging both her vehicle and the cruiser. She kept fleeing after the crash, and Upper Providence police eventually found her vehicle abandoned and unoccupied on a township roadway. Police apprehended Butts after she ignored commands to stop.
Dozens of Stolen Items Recovered From Abandoned Car
Inside the abandoned vehicle, police found 37 items reported stolen from multiple outlet stores, valued at about $1,100 according to the arrest affidavit. Most of the recovered merchandise still had sales tags attached, and several items had security sensors still on them.
As part of the plea agreement, other charges against Butts were dismissed, including fleeing or eluding police, resisting arrest, accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle, speeding and reckless driving. Butts pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of law enforcement officers and retail theft. Title 18 of the state's crimes code includes provisions titled Assault of a law enforcement officer and retail theft.
Her male companion from the day of the theft previously pleaded guilty to a retail theft charge and was sentenced to 111 days already served to 23 months in jail plus a year of probation, the outlet reported. The identity of that man was not disclosed in available court reporting.
