Robbery charges dismissed against Montgomery County man

A Montgomery County man was sentenced to probation by a Centre County court for his role in a reported 2016 robbery in downtown State College.

Toure C. Williams, 21, of Rydal, had been arrested and charged in September 2016 along with Bilal McGruder, 23, of Philadelphia, in relation to an armed robbery reported along East Beaver Avenue on Labor Day. Williams was taken into custody a few days later, while McGruder turned himself into police about a week later.

Williams told officers he had met McGruder that evening, and had driven him around the downtown area, police said. He stated he had dropped McGruder off prior to the incident, and picked him up afterward.

McGruder was sentenced to a total of five to 10 years in a state institution in August, the CDT previously reported.

At sentencing Thursday before Centre County Judge Katherine Oliver, Williams’s attorney, Stephen Geday, noted that his client had been very cooperative in bringing his co-defendant to justice, saying that Williams’s role in the incident was minimal while the second defendant had been more culpable.

Felony charges of conspiracy to commit robbery were dismissed, Oliver said, as Williams entered guilty pleas to summary counts of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 90 days probation, a $100 fine, must pay about $1,595 in restitution and serve five days of community service.

Bellefonte man gets three years probation in assault case

A Bellefonte man pleaded guilty to charges of simple assault and defiant trespassing Thursday, receiving probation on both charges.

Andrew M. Tenalio, 28, was taken into custody and charged in June for an domestic incident in Marion Township. A female resident reported a verbal altercation in which Tenalio had struck her and dragged her by her hooded coat.

Tenalio had been advised numerous times he was not welcome on the property, police said.

He was sentenced by Judge Katherine Oliver to a total of three years probation along with two days of community service. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim in the case outside of the provisions laid out by an existing protection from abuse order.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Robbery charges dismissed against Montgomery County man."