LANCASTER, PA — Jamail Robertson, 27-year-old, has confessed to a series of violent acts against local law enforcement and brazen thefts from area businesses. In a courtroom drama that unfolded before Lancaster County Judge Margaret Miller on Tuesday, Robertson entered a mixed plea of guilt and no contest to charges that paint a picture of a one-man crime wave sweeping through the peaceful Pennsylvania community.
The saga of Robertson’s reign of terror includes not one, but two aggravated assaults on law enforcement officers, alongside a robbery and retail theft that left local shopkeepers on edge. The first harrowing incident saw Robertson lash out at a Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer during a routine transport for arraignment on April 2, 2023. The altercation took an ugly turn when Robertson, refusing to cooperate, unleashed a barrage of punches, landing a blow that sent the officer to the hospital in need of stitches.
Fast forward to September 5, 2023, and Robertson’s violent tendencies resurfaced within the walls of Lancaster County Prison. What began as a simple request to make a phone call and take a shower escalated into a full-blown assault on a correctional officer. Robertson, ignoring orders to remain in his cell, engaged in a physical confrontation that saw him pinning the officer against a metal table by the neck, an act of defiance that only ended with the intervention of a taser-wielding backup officer.
But Robertson’s rap sheet doesn’t end with attacks on law enforcement. The defendant also admitted to a petty yet audacious act of theft at a Turkey Hill store in Manheim Township, where he brazenly snatched a cigar and provided false names to the responding police. Not content with small-time theft, Robertson escalated his criminal endeavors in December 2022, robbing a store on Lititz Pike by threatening the clerk with a lit cigar and attempting to pilfer cash from the register.
Robertson’s journey through the criminal justice system has been a rollercoaster of competency evaluations, with a stint at Torrance State Hospital eventually deeming him fit to stand trial. As the community awaits the final chapter of this sordid tale with Robertson’s sentencing, questions linger about the measures in place to prevent such a dangerous escalation of criminal behavior.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman leads the charge against Robertson, bolstered by the diligent efforts of Manheim Township Police Department Officers Ryan Snyder and Devin Pickel, Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer Daniel Hunsicker, and Lancaster County Detective Brendan McAnally.
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