PRESS RELEASE

On August 15, 2026, the Plymouth Township Police Department responded to Target, 2250 Chemical Road, Plymouth Township, for a reported retail theft. A male, later identified as Johnathan Latore Shaquan Ward, was uncooperative with Target Loss Prevention after being stopped for attempting to steal multiple containers of baby formula. Plymouth Patrol officers arrived on location and attempted to take Ward into custody. Ward resisted the Officer’s attempts to take him into custody and fled on foot through the front of the Target store, exiting the front doors into the parking lot. 

During his flight on foot, Ward was observed kneeling on top of a sewer grate, where he discarded a Glock, model 43, 9mm handgun. He then continued to flee on foot before being taken into custody behind DSW Shoe Warehouse. The firearm was recovered from the sewer, along with a magazine containing 8 rounds of ammunition. Ward was found to have prior criminal convictions that prevent him from lawfully possessing a firearm. 

Ward was arraigned by the on-call Magisterial District Judge on March 16, 2026. A preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Jodi Griffis is scheduled for September 1, 2026, at 9:30 am. Bail was set at $50,000, cash. Unable to post bail, Ward was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

Ward is charged with:

• 18 PACC 6105(a)(1): Persons not to Possess a Firearm – FELONY – 2^nd Degree
• 18 PACC 6106(a)(1): Firearms not to be Carried without a License – FELONY – 3^rd Degree
• 18 PACC 3929(a)(1): Retail Theft – MISDEMEANOR – 1^st Degree
• 18 PACC 3925(a): Receiving Stolen Property – MISDEMEANOR – 1^st Degree
• 18 PACC 5104.2(a): Evading Arrest or Detention on Foot – MISDEMEANOR – 2^nd Degree