ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A Columbia man was sentenced to a year and a half in jail for robbing older people in Columbia. The victims included a woman riding on a mobility scooter, according to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office. He has another court appearance in January 2019 related to the assault of a fellow inmate at the Howard County Detention Center.

Zayah Abdul Alhassan, 19, of the 7100 block of Talisman Lane,, "preyed" on the elderly, Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Bernhardt said at sentencing on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Two older women were robbed of their purses and accosted near the 7000 block of Cradlerock Way in east Columbia on May 14 and May 22. Another woman, who had been riding on a scooter, had her purse stolen on May 30, officials said.

Based on the police investigation and surveillance video, authorities identified Alhassan as the suspect in the robberies. He was also charged in a burglary that happened May 10 in the 7100 block of Honeyladen Place but those charges were dropped as part of his plea agreement, the state's attorney reported. Alhassan received the following sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of robbery and one count of theft scheme from $100 to $1,500, the state's attorney reported:

Six months for theft scheme

10 years, with all but 18 months suspended for robbery Upon his release, Alhassan will be on supervised probation for three years; must pay $145 in court costs and $493 in restitution to one of the victims; and may not have contact with any of his victims, according to the state's attorney. Assistant State's Attorney Danielle Duclaux reportedly said in court that while Alhassan has no prior adult convictions, he does have a prior juvenile record.

He will be tried in Howard County District Court on Jan. 16, 2019, in a second-degree assault charge related to an incident involving another inmate at the Howard County Detention Center on Aug. 17.

