Ex-Bensalem Police Officer Stalked Ex-Girlfriend: Cops (ICYMI)

BENSALEM, PA — A former Bensalem police officer has been charged with stalking his former girlfriend and breaking into her home in order to take a gold chain.

Samuel Karley, 39, of Philadelphia, was arrested Thursday and is charged with two counts of criminal trespass and two counts of stalking in the case, according to Bucks County court records. He was released after posting 10 percent of $150,000 bail. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Thursday.

According to an affidavit in the case, Karley's ex-girlfriend, who lives in the 1400 block of West Bensalem Boulevard, called police after receiving an alert on her smartwatch while she was at work.

She said the alert showed a man wearing a mask and dark jacket in her home. She identified him as Karley, saying she recognized the jacket he was wearing, and told them he was a former Bensalem officer who knew how to get into her home.

The affidavit says a surveillance camera showed a man believed to be Karley leaving before police got there and another showed a man come out of a wooded area and run across the property of Cornwells Elementary School, which is two blocks away.

Police found clothing discarded in the area. A Bensalem police detective who knew Karley recognized him in the video, the affidavit said.

The woman told police Karley has been obsessed about a gold chain he gave the woman's son and had accused her of stealing it. She said he sent more than 50 text messages about the chain.

Karley's lawyer, Paul Lang, told The Intelligencer that Karley is innocent. Karley told police that the gold chain he was seeking had been stolen. Lang confirmed to the paper that Karley was a Bensalem officer, saying he retired in 2015 after being injured on the job.

Photo courtesy Bucks County District Attorney's office