Reserve man headed to trial in ride-sharing theft

A Reserve man has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly stealing $80 from a ride-sharing service driver in Vandergrift last month.

At a preliminary hearing Tuesday, District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec ordered Jacki Lee “Mussa” Williams, 44, to stand trial for robbery, theft and receiving stolen property for the Feb. 18 incident.

Police say Williams got a woman to drive him from Vandergrift to New Kensington and back to Vandergrift. When they arrived there, police say, he asked her for change for $100.

The woman got the $80 from her purse and Williams reached over and grabbed it before getting out of her car, according to police.

The woman waited for him to come back to pay, but he never did.

Williams remained in the Westmoreland County Prison on Thursday in lieu of $75,000 cash bond and a parole violation detainer.

Williams is the same man who a year ago pleaded guilty to a similar incident.

Police alleged that Williams told a man at a Harrison gas station that he had a family emergency and needed a ride to New Kensington.

Williams offered to pay the driver for a lift, police said.

When they got to New Kensington, Williams pulled a gun and robbed the driver then fled.

In a plea deal, Williams was sentenced to five to 12 months in jail and given credit for time served.

He was sent to a treatment facility but walked out early, which led to the parole detainer.

He has an extensive record reaching back to 1990 for convictions in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

He served most sentences in county jails but he served about six years in state prison for robbery.

Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4711 or cbiedka@tribweb.com.