“They are here, and that is a good thing,” said defendant Lola Saratoga in court

SARATOGA SPRINGS – — The three men accused of stealing $35,000 worth of designer handbags from Lola Saratoga on Saturday appeared in Saratoga Springs Municipal Court Thursday morning.

One by one, 23-year-olds Christopher Tyler and Jowan Plummer and 22-year-old Mustafa Lewis-Hampton appeared before Saratoga Springs Municipal Court Judge Jeffrey Wait.

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Judge Wait mentioned that bail laws prevented him from setting bail for each of the men. “As you may recall, we discussed this weekend that bail cannot be set. I had no discretion to do that. Under any circumstances, I certainly would have done that, but my hands are tied,” said Judge Jeffrey Wait of Saratoga Springs Municipal Court. “Nevertheless, you are here, and that is a good thing.”

All are from Washington, DC, and have numerous criminal records, according to the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office.

“Mr. Tyler has previously been arrested for grand larceny, possession of tools for theft, possession of stolen property, contempt of court and fugitive from justice,” said Saratoga County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Frandino.

When the suspects showed up, Frandino went through the records of all previous arrests. “He was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm, possession with intent to resell, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of a high capacity ammunition feeding device,” Frandino said of Plummer.

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“He has previously been arrested for possession with intent to resell, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device,” Frandino said of Lewis-Hampton.

Tyler, Plummer and Lewis-Hampton were arraigned on Saturday following the break-in and released without bail.

On Thursday, Judge Wait issued a temporary restraining order ordering the men to stay away from Lola Saratoga and the business owner.

According to court documents, Tyler, Plummer and Lewis-Hampton used a crowbar to smash the store's window shortly before 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning and stole $35,000 worth of designer handbags.

After the break-in and robbery, the police began a chase.

The men threw the handbags out the window as they headed south on the Northway.

Everyone fled the vehicle and the police began a pursuit on foot into the forest, where they were caught and arrested near exit 11.

They were all accused of the following:

• Third-degree burglary, a class D felony
• Criminal damage to property in the second degree, a class D felony
• Grand Theft in the Third Degree, a Class D Felony
• Criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, a class D felony
• Tampering with evidence, a class E felony
• Fifth-degree conspiracy, a Class A misdemeanor
• Possession of burglary tools, a Class A misdemeanor

This is the third break-in at Lola Saratoga in the last eight months.

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Twice at the Saratoga Springs location and once in Guilderland.

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Toron M. Melton, 34, whose last known residence was in Washington, DC, remains under arrest in connection with the lightning burglary at the Guilderland site in December 2023.

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The police have not yet announced whether there is a connection between the cases.

The next court date for Tyler, Plummer and Lewis-Hampton is September 12.