Ex-Employee Charged With Burglary At Sheraton Hotel

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA —A Philadelphia man is in custody after breaking into the Sheraton Hotel where he was fired a few months ago and stealing 37 bottles of liquor on Sunday night, police said.

Terriek Hammonds, 44, of Philadelphia, was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, and criminal mischief, the Falls Township Police Department said.

Hammonds was preliminarily arraigned by Judge Christopher O'Neill at 4 a.m. Monday with bail set at $75,000.00 unsecured.

Falls Township Police said in a criminal complaint that they responded at 11:48 p.m. Sunday to the Sheraton Hotel at 400 N. Oxford Valley Rd. for a burglary in progress.

The hotel manager told police that she was watching a live feed of a former employee who had broken into the liquor closet in the kitchen and was currently packing bottles into bags.

Police spotted Hammonds —who was wearing a blue and red leather jacket with a grey sweatshirt —in the rear of the hotel.

He was carrying three bags that appeared full.

Police said that Hammonds was fired by the hotel a few months ago and was informed he was not to return to the property after his termination.

Hammonds was aware he was not to be on the property and did not have access to the building, police said.

Police discovered that the door to the locked liquor closet had fresh pry marks on it and was forced open. Police said that 37 bottles of alcohol were taken and recovered at the time of Hammonds' arrest.

The liquor was valued at over $1,000, police said. Damage to both the door and locking mechanism was observed and a knife as well as two small pry bars were found inside one of the bags Hammonds was carrying, police said.