Crime & Safety

Men Get Prison Time for Threatening to Light East Pikeland Teen on Fire

Shawn Aldren Banks and Jabir Sims got identical sentences of up to five years.

Two men who doused an East Pikeland teenager in gasoline in August of 2011 and threatened to light him on fire were sentenced to prison last week, The Phoenix is reporting.

Shawn Aldren Banks, 21, of Philadelphia, and Jabir Sims, 20, of Norristown, were each sentenced to 2-and-a-half to five years in prison for their roles in the crime. Sims and the victim, Jason Wier, attended Phoenixville’s together.

According to the paper, Banks and Sims went to Wier’s parent’s house last summer after he allegedly sold the pair marijuana that they determined was of low quality. Wier, 17 at the time, told the men he would sell them more marijuana, and in an apparent goodwill gesture, add some pills to the deal as well.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But Banks and Sims, after saying they were going outside to get money, returned to the house with a soda bottle full of gasoline. (In surveillance footage police later recovered from the Wawa on Nutt Road, Banks could be seen filling an empty soda bottle with gas.) Sims pushed Wier against the wall while Banks poured the gasoline on his head and threatened him with a lighter.

Neither Banks or Sims had a criminal record before the crime.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.