SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - A 29-year-old Philadelphia man got a Christmas surprise Sunday when he was taken into custody by Schuylkill Haven police for his role in a brutal attack and robbery at a borough apartment complex earlier in the month.
On Saturday, the man's half-brother was arrested for the same incident.
Police on Sunday charged Leonard L. Stubbs, 5452 Regent St., with four felony counts each of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery; one felony count each of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, criminal trespass and conspiracy to commit criminal trespass; four misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and one misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person.
On Saturday night, police charged Alfred Booker, 23, of 1513 Belmont St., Philadelphia, with identical offenses.
Both men were taken into custody in Philadelphia, returned to Schuylkill County, arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, and committed to the county prison, unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail.
Stubbs and Booker are the third and fourth men to be taken into custody as a result of the Dec. 4 attack at the apartment at 208 Dock St., an off-campus housing facility for Penn State Schuylkill students.
Christopher Scott, 18, who lives at 204 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, and Christopher Cheese, 19, of 1801 W. Market St., Pottsville, were charged earlier with four felony counts each of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery; one felony count each of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and criminal trespass; and four misdemeanor counts each of recklessly endangering another person and conspiracy to commit recklessly endangering another person.
The attack sent three people - Julian E. Coutourieri, Michael Williams and Sammuel Haiger - to Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown for treatment. A fourth victim, Jaquon Wilson, was not injured.
Schuylkill Haven police Patrolman Vince McDonald, the arresting officer, said Scott, Cheese, Booker and Stubbs were part of a group of at least 15 people that arrived at the complex in two different vehicles just after 8 p.m., stormed inside and brutally beat Coutourieri, Williams and Haiger causing severe head injuries to all three.
The group then returned to the apartment where Wilson was and stole a laptop computer, a cellular telephone and an iPOD.
McDonald said police did not initially know who committed the attacks but obtained surveillance video from Penn State Schuylkill and from the security cameras at the apartment building.
On Dec. 5, McDonald said he and Patrolman Glenn Firing reviewed the video tapes with Wilson and Coutourieri who both positively identified Cheese and Scott as two of the people entering the apartment complex.
On Dec. 8, McDonald said Scott was interviewed after previously being identified on video surveillance footage the night of the attack.
Scott said he and Booker were the drivers of two of the vehicles that went to the complex and that when he went inside, Booker and Cheese were already involved in the attacks. Scott also said that Booker was inside the bedroom where the victims were assaulted.
The investigation led to Stubbs being identified through photographs on his Facebook web page being compared to video footage from the night of the attacks.
The night of the attacks, police Sgt. Robert Phillips said, is believed to have stemmed from a pickup basketball game held days prior at the campus between a group of students from the Philadelphia area against students from the New York City area.
Because of something that occurred at the game, Phillips said a group of family members or friends of the Philadelphia students came to the area to retaliate, thus resulting in the attacks.
Phillips said warrants have been obtained for two additional people involved in the attacks and that more arrests may also follow as the investigation continues.