Centre County Police Roundup: State College Man Robs Teenage Boys

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled Wednesday for a State College man who faces three felonies after he threatened and robbed four boys on Saturday.

Richard Martinez, 19, was arraigned on Sunday before Centre County District Judge Carmine Prestia, who set bail at $75,000. Martinez was charged with three counts of felony robbery, with threat of immediate serious injury and inflicting or threatening bodily injury and force.

Martinez, of State College, also was  charged with misdemeanor simple assault with fear of serious injury, terroristic threats and theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

According to the Spring Township Police, four male minors were hiking Centre Hall Mountian when a man they later described to police as black or Hispanic chased the four boys and ordered them to get on the ground.

The assailant, later identified as Martinez, kicked one of the boys in the head and held a box cutter to another’s throat before robbing them of possessions in their backpacks, police said.

The boy who was kicked in the head by Martinez was treated at Mount Nittany Medical Center. Police said each of the four boys was interviewed by police and were commended by police for being able to provide details of the assault and robbery even after ‘going through a traumatic event.’

Bellefonte Police, the State College Police K-9 unit, Pennsylvania State Police at Rockview and State College patrol officers all contributed to the investigation and aided Spring Township Police, police said.

Meanwhile, an unidentified man was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center on Sunday night after he was found lying in the street, attempting to commit suicide, State College Police said.

Police responded to a call at 9:07 p.m. Saturday at S. Pugh St. and Hamilton Ave., where they found a man lying in the middle of the road. Police could not provide any more details regarding the man’s identity or if charges were filed.