A 33-year-old Trenton New Jersey woman charged with aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and related offenses that occurred at Gabe’s in Fairless Hills lat April, waived her right to a preliminary hearing after prosecutors dropped seven of the original 20 charges filed against her.
Kaimira M Higgenbotham, with her court appointed attorney Mel D. Kardos, Esq appeared before District Judge Terrence Hughes Tuesday for her scheduled court appearance. She was arrested in June for the alleged April robbery. Prosecutors dropped two counts of aggravated assault, one burglary charge, two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and two theft related charges before the suspect waived her right to the preliminary hearing shortly thereafter. She still faces six counts of robbery with intent to cause serious bodily harm, two counts of simple assault, and five additional related offenses.
As she was trying to leave the Gabes outlet in Fairless Hills section of Bristol Twp, last April Higgenbotham was confronted by a store employee who told police she observed the suspect placing items inside a laundry hamper that was in a shopping cart. The Trenton woman battled with two store employees for control of the shopping cart and hamper eventually regaining control of the cart, but not before unleashing an alleged vicious beating by stomping on one employee’s chest and slamming the second in the head repeatedly with her cell phone, according to police. She fled the area in a white Lexus, moments later, witnesses told investigators.
Both employees were seriously injured in the attack needing follow up appointments days and weeks after the April robbery and attack said police. The Lexus was caught on video surveillance with the vehicles tags visibly clear, according to court records. Just before 10:30 the same night of the alleged robbery, Trenton Police officers observed the white Lexus parked in front of the registered owner’s home. Officers activated their body cams when interviewing vehicle owner Jamella Francis , who said she loaned her car to a good friend, identifying the suspect in the process as Higginbotham. Police were able to subsequently confirm Higginbotham’s identity with an assist from Trenton Police by viewing her New Jersey State driver license information and matching then to pictures of the suspect stemming from previous arrest, police said. She was taken into custody without incident in July.
In March Falls Township Police filed a four count theft case against Higginbotham. She waived her right for a preliminary hearing to be held on September 4.
Higgenbothams is scheduled back in court for that case on October 4 in Doylestown. Her attorney requested funds for his client to undergo a forensic evaluation in both cases, according to online court records. Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey L. Finley granted the motion in the Bristol Two robbery case. The motion is still pending in the Falls Twp theft case, online court records show.
Higgenbotham appears in court for formal arraignment on October 25 for the Gabe’s robbery case with a jury trial looming on the horizon soon thereafter.