LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Columbia man has been sentenced to seven to 16 years in prison following a robbery and high speed chase that occurred in April 2021, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Joel Z. White, 29, pleaded guilty to six felonies and seven misdemeanors in March.
On April 18, 2021, around 3 a.m., East Lampeter Township Police pursued a black Volkswagen Jetta driving eastbound in the 2200 block of Lincoln Highway East. The vehicle was reportedly traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour in a posted 40 mph zone before heading into Strasburg Borough.
When White reached Strasburg, he parked the vehicle in the parking lot of The Willows at Historic Strasburg and exited before fleeing on foot toward the southwest, according to the DA's office. When officers approached his vehicle, they discovered a large, black knife sheath in plain view.
Around 3:11 a.m., a victim phoned emergency dispatch and told the operator that a tall, white male wielding a large knife broke into their home and threatened to harm them if they did not give him their vehicle. White reportedly took the victims’ blue Honda CRV and traveled northbound on State Road 0896 at speeds of 120 mph, all while swerving into oncoming lanes of travel.
White reportedly then proceeded to run several red lights and almost struck several other vehicles before police successfully executed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle on Old Philadelphia Pike and took White into custody.
Police say a search yielded a hypodermic needle, methamphetamine, 19 Buprenorphine, Naloxone sublingual films, and the knife; White admitted to using methamphetamine to police.
“It’s a miracle that no one was killed as a result of the defendant’s actions,” prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Christie Wilson said during the proceeding. "He put countless lives in danger that night. Based on the facts, this is a case where an aggravated range sentence could not be more appropriate.”
White's first-degree felony offenses include burglary, robbery, and robbery of a motor vehicle. His third-degree felonies include theft by unlawful taking and two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer. His first-degree misdemeanors include terroristic threats, possession of a firearm or other weapon, and two counts of simple assault. His ungraded misdemeanors include driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
White was further sentenced to three years of consecutive probation, to pay $19,504 in restitution, and to have no further contact with the victims.
