timothy t. smith and wawa
Timothy T. Smith, pictured above, who is accused of robbing a man at the Palmer Township Wawa gave his victim $5 back before running off with his wallet, according to court records.
(Courtesy photo, Express-Times file photo)
The man accused of robbing another man at the Palmer Township Wawa gave his victim $5 back before running off with his wallet, according to court records.
The victim, Ethan Voice, told township police that Timothy T. Smith, who was arrested Saturday, gave him $5 from Voice's wallet before running off, records say. The alleged robbery happened Friday night while Voice was pumping gas at the South 25th Street convenience store.
Voice, during a telephone interview this afternoon, said it was "almost like he was remorseful" when Smith gave him the $5.
"I don't know why he would pick out a $5 bill and give it to me — maybe for gas money," Voice said. "It's so ironic."
Voice said he's been a regular customer at the Palmer Township convenience store and that he's had other people ask him for money there before. He thought the suspect was just looking for a few dollars or that he needed assistance with his car. The suspect had approached Voice from the air machines used to fill tires, Voice said.
"I generally would help someone out with a few bucks if they need it," Voice said. "I thought it could be another situation like that."
Voice had just finished pumping gas at 9:40 p.m. Friday when Smith approached him and said, "Look man, I'm not here to hurt you, but just give me your wallet," records say.
Smith repeated that two or three times then lifted his shirt to display a semiautomatic handgun in the waist of his jeans, records say. Voice told police he then realized Smith was serious so he gave him his wallet, records say.
"I couldn't tell if it was plastic or real," Voice said. "Given the situation, I know what they say, 'Don't try to be a hero — just give him what he wants.'"
Voice said township police told him Smith was found with an Airsoft pellet gun in his car but that it looked real to him. He said today he's still a bit shaken from the robbery.
"I don't know why he picked me out of all the customers," said Voice, who said he works out and stands 6 feet 2 inches tall. "I just felt a little unlucky. ... It makes you think twice about people and society in general."
Voice said it seemed the suspect could have possibly been on drugs when he robbed him.
Smith allegedly used Voice's credit cards to charge $322 worth of items — including $300 in gift cards — at Sheetz and Walgreens in Palmer and at a Wawa in Lower Nazareth Township, records say. Palmer Township found Smith through tracking his use of Voice's credit cards and using surveillance video to identify the car he drove to the stores, records say.
Smith was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail on charges of robbery, theft by unlawful taking, access device fraud and forgery, police say.