Pa. Man Accused in Wife's Mugging

YORK, Pa. – Police had some good news and some bad news for Gloria Ent several days after a man stole her purse, along with $2,500 inside.

The good news? They had some suspects. The bad news? One of them was her husband.

"I come to find out my husband was in on it," said Ent, who has cerebral palsy (search) and uses a wheelchair.

On Sept. 29, Ent was on the sidewalk in York when a man jumped out of a passing car and grabbed her purse. She said it was full of cash because she was buying a new bedroom suite for her son.

She reported the theft to city police, who called about three days later and asked her to come down to the station. Along with her husband, Clarence Theodore Ent (search), she headed to city hall.

She said she was surprised when police took her husband in for questioning soon after they arrived. A short time later, officers told her they caught one of the guys who robbed her.

Clarence Ent told police he needed money because he had started using crack cocaine (search) again, according to court documents. He allegedly said he had taken some money from his wife already, but that he didn't want her to find out, so he asked a friend to steal her purse.

Gloria Ent said she had no idea her husband of four years was using drugs. She thought he had been clean for about 14 years.

Clarence Ent was being held at York County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. "He can rot in jail until the day he dies as far as I'm concerned," Gloria Ent said.

Police also charged two other men in connection with the robbery.

Stephen Douglas Muckle, 43, of West York, is accused of driving the getaway car. Donald Ramon Pursell, 40, of Jackson Township, implicated Clarence Ent in the robbery after he was arrested Friday night, police said. Police allege Pursell was the one who grabbed the purse.

It was not immediately clear if any of the men had obtained attorneys.