Two Michigan men charged after tying up, brutally beating 61-year-old comic book store owner in Pennsylvania
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS DETROIT) - Two Michigan men have been charged in connection to the alleged robbery of a Pennsylvania comic book store and assaulting its owner in September 2022.
Zackery Maximus Tucker, 22, of Quincy, was arraigned Monday on the charges of robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. He was remanded to Bucks County Jail and given a $300,000, 10% bond.
Caleb James-Lorenze Simpson, 35, of Clarklake, was also charged and is in custody in Michigan awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
Police responded at 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2022, at the Comic Collection store at 83 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville, after receiving a report of an assault and robbery.
When officers arrived at the store, they found the 61-year-old owner tied up on the floor and beaten.
An investigation revealed that two men, later identified as Taylor and Simpson, had walked into the store and pretended to be customers.
They asked the owner to help them get an item off a high shelf, and when he was on the ladder, one of the men knocked him off, and he fell to the ground. The two men then began to beat the store owner, tied him up, and then held a knife in his face while threatening to kill him if he didn't cooperate.
Both of the men wore black disposable gloves and used black zip ties to restrain the victim. Surveillance video recovered showed one of the victims punching the store owner with brass knuckles and putting the knife in his face.
"The two males pulled two large duffel bags from a backpack and loaded them up with a laptop, the victim's keys, cash, comic books, Pokémon cards, action figures, and other store merchandise," according to a release from the Branch County District Attorney's Office. "They also emptied the victim's wallet and left his credit cards behind."
Officers searched around the store and found clothing that was believed to be worn by the suspects in the same area where merchandise was taken. The clothing was sent to a crime lab for analysis.
After reviewing the surveillance video, officers learned that one of the suspects had removed his hat and sweatshirt and saw that he had a forearm tattoo.
More than a year after the violent crime, on Dec. 19, 2023, a detective received a tip that long-haul trucker Caleb Simpson, along with another trucker, was responsible for the crime.
The police department learned that Simpson had been arrested in Michigan three weeks after the comic book store attack for trying to steal a firearm.
The detective requested photos from the arrest from the Adrian Township Police Department, and Simpson is seen in the photos with another man, identified as Zackery Tucker. Tucker matched the description of the second person involved in the comic book store incident.
In February 2023, the crime lab showed a DNA match for Simpson in the comic book store robbery.
