Charges Withdrawn Against Man Dressed As Spiderman In Oakland
OAKLAND (KDKA) – Charges against a man who was arrested after running around Oakland dressed as Spiderman have been withdrawn.
According to police, Jonathan Hewson, 21, was taken into custody around 1 a.m. on Sept. 20, near the corner of Atwood Street and Sennot St. in Oakland.
Facing a felony robbery charge and $50,000 bail, Spiderman spent the last 11 nights at the Allegheny County Jail. However, he'll be released today after the store clerk told the judge this was all a silly mistake.
Initially, the store clerk thought he was being robbed. A man dressed head to toe in a Spiderman costume barged into store and wanted to know how much money was in the register.
"I think cooler heads prevailed today and everybody looked at it and said, 'Okay, Spiderman is not trying to rob the store,'" attorney Michael Santicola said.
Jonathan Hewson, 22, is a student at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the man behind the mask.
Today, the rogue superhero was able to redeem himself, as the store clerk decided to withdraw charges.
He told KDKA-TV's Heather Abraham that after learning more about Hewson, he believes this was just a silly mistake.
"He's learned his lesson, I think, about how you have to take responsibility for your actions, no matter how innocent they may seem, the rest of the world may not see it that way. Especially, in today's world," Santicola said.
While the Spiderman imposter became the running joke around town, Santicola assures this was no laughing matter. Spending over a week in jail sent a strong message to his client.
"He's been in jail this entire time. He was suspended from classes at Pitt, where he's a senior. Hopefully, that will all be rectified today," Santicola said.
Hewson's lawyer said he's confident his client will not get into character again, saying the Commonwealth will confiscate the Spiderman costume and most likely destroy it.
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