NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man was sent to prison on robbery and weapons charges in connection with the gunpoint holdup of an undercover state police trooper during a drug investigation in the borough.
Elijah Omar Jordan, 28, of the 1200 block of West Washington Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 8½ to 17 years in a state correctional institution in connection with the May 29, 2024, incident during which he pointed a gun at the abdomen of an undercover trooper who was posing as a methamphetamine purchaser.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein imposed the sentence which was part of a sentencing agreement reached between the prosecution and defense.
Before she imposed the agreed upon sentence, the judge addressed Jordan, who completed dozens of counseling and enrichment programs to better himself while housed at the county jail, urging him to continue with programs that will help him put his life on the right track.
As he was escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs, Jordan told the judge, “I appreciate you.”
During a nonjury trial in April, Rothstein convicted Jordan of charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, persons not to possess a firearm and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance in connection with the incident.
During that trial, Jordan, who was represented by defense lawyer Pietro D’Angelo, stipulated to certain facts contained in an affidavit of probable cause, essentially accepting responsibility for his conduct.
Bobby Lee Tillman Jr., 29, of the 4500 block of North Gratz Street, Philadelphia, Jordan’s conspirator in the plot, was convicted by a jury at a separate trial of robbery and weapons charges and was sentenced last month to 17 to 34 years in prison.
Jordan, who Tillman wanted to call as a defense witness, previously asserted his Fifth Amendment right under the U.S. Constitution to remain silent and would not testify at Tillman’s trial.
Prosecutors alleged Tillman and Jordan were accomplices in the robbery plot to steal $3,200 that the trooper brought to what was supposed to be a drug deal. Tillman handed the trooper a bag that was empty and contained no drugs during the transaction.
Prosecutors alleged it was Jordan who pointed a gun at the abdomen of the undercover trooper, who was posing as a methamphetamine purchaser.
Assistant District Attorney William Harry Highland III sought the prison term against Jordan to hold him accountable for his role in the crime.
“He was a player in this with Mr. Tillman. We believe Mr. Tillman brought Mr. Jordan into the fold for this criminal act. I think (the sentence) shows that Mr. Jordan, even though being a participant in this and not the lead player, is still being held accountable for his actions,” Highland said.
According to trial testimony and court documents, the undercover trooper was involved in an ongoing narcotics investigation with the goal of making a purchase of two pounds of methamphetamine from a man known as “H,” the primary target of the investigation who was later identified as Dominic Tyrek White, 33, of Philadelphia, for about $3,200.
White, who is still awaiting court action on drug-related charges, allegedly agreed to meet the undercover trooper posing as the buyer at about 2 p.m. May 29, 2024, in the area of the 300 block of Hamilton Street in Norristown.
However, when the undercover trooper got to the area, he was met by Tillman and Jordan. Tillman told the trooper they were “H’s people,” according to testimony.
When the undercover trooper showed the men the cash and asked to see the drugs Tillman walked away from the trooper’s vehicle and returned a short time later with a white grocery-style bag that turned out to be empty.
Authorities alleged that while Tillman was counting the buy money, Jordan brandished a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the abdomen of the undercover trooper and instructed him to leave the area.
At the time, Tillman allegedly stated to the trooper, “It’s not personal,” according to testimony.
No shots were fired during the incident that suddenly turned chaotic.
who completed dozens of counseling and enrichment programs to better himself while housed at the county jail,
Other members of law enforcement, who had the area under surveillance, converged on the location and Jordan and Tillman fled on foot.
Pursuing officers caught up to Jordan a few blocks away and observed him dispose of a handgun, a Glock 19, loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition and an extended magazine, underneath a vehicle, according to testimony.
The Glock also had a so-called “switch,” a mechanism that allows a semiautomatic weapon to become fully automatic, similar to a machine gun.
Assistant District Attorney Libby Hemler argued the incident represented an undercover officer’s “worst nightmare.”
“For undercovers, this is their worst nightmare. They go into these scary situations where they don’t know these individuals,” said Hemler, pointing out the danger that the “switch” on Jordan’s Glock 19 presented to the undercover trooper. “If he would have pulled the trigger on that firearm the entire magazine would have been expelled, shot at the undercover.”
Officers who pursued Tillman observed him flee toward an alley off West Lafayette Street where he jumped over a fence. Police found a loaded Smith & Wesson revolver at the location where Tillman jumped the fence, according to testimony.
Tillman was taken into custody a short time later.
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