On Saturday night a teenager reported to authorities that he was robbed at gunpoint when an interested purchaser showed up at his home to pick up and pay for a purse he had listed for sale through an online application.
The 16-year-old boy created a listing on a third party online sales application known as “Let Go” in an attempt to find a buyer for a Louis Vuitton designer purse. He priced the bag at $300, though its actual worth was approximately $20 as it was an imitation of the original.
Soon after posting it the teen was contacted by a man interested in the handbag. After haggling on the asking price the prospective buyer and the boy agreed on $250 and the two made arrangements to carry out the transaction. They decided that the man would come to the boy’s home to pay for and pick up the purse.
The man, known as Jake Jennings from his online profile, arrived at the Penngrove residence late Saturday evening. When the teen answered the door with the purse Jennings allegedly pulled a gun and held it against the boy’s stomach before running off with it.
The victim called the police to report what had happened, and he gave a thorough description of the man which included his online moniker, and mentioned that the assailant was wearing a unique pair of Air Jordan shoes.
The following day a Sonoma County deputy used the Let Go app and began interacting with someone with the name Jake Jennings. Jennings told the deputy that he was looking to purchase Air Jordan shoes, and a meeting for the sale was set up in a public location.
When someone fitting the description of Jake Jennings pulled up to the agreed location deputies performed a traffic stop and searched the vehicle. The man in the driver’s seat was reportedly wearing a pair of Air Jordan’s matching the description given from the teen who was robbed, and he was identified as 19-year-old Austin McClure. With him was a 16-year-old passenger whose name has not been released due to his age.
During the vehicle search deputies discovered a black pellet gun with an operational hammer and they believed it resembled a real handgun. The teenage passenger was found in possession of a mock designer handbag that the deputies believed was from the reported robbery.
McClure and the teen were taken into custody for suspected robbery and conspiracy.
McClure is being held at the Sonoma County Jail on $100,000 bail. The teenage boy was also arrested and transported to the juvenile detention facility in Sonoma County.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.