TribLIVE s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
A Scottdale man who confessed to an armed robbery of a woman in a Hempfield parking lot more than four years ago was found not guilty by a jury on Thursday.
After about 90 minutes of deliberations, jurors acquitted Norman Jack, 30, of robbery, theft and three other related offenses in connection with an incident in which a Blairsville woman said she was robbed at gunpoint while she sat in her parked car at Greengate East Plaza on Nov. 30, 2016.
Jack, who is Black, contended he was linked to the crime by a white woman based on racial stereotypes and through a tainted identification process by police.
Hempfield robbery suspect details alibi, denounces confession in 3rd day of trial triblive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from triblive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
MAN CHARGED WITH ROBBING BLAIRSVILLE WOMAN CLAIMS MISIDENTIFICATION By Todd Marino
Feb 23, 2021 4:10 AM
The attorney for a robbery defendant on trial in Westmoreland County yesterday claimed that the only reason the victim identified the man was because he is black. However, prosecutors have his confession, a link to him based on a cell phone call made from the victim’s phone, and other evidence.
Opening statements were made yesterday in the trial of 30-year-old Norman Jack of Scottdale, who is accused of robbing a Blairsville woman in November of 2016. He is charged with felony robbery and prohibited possession of a firearm without a license, along with misdemeanor terroristic threats, simple assault, and theft.