Marple Crime Blotter: Brick Through Window, Scam, Juvenile Theft

BROOMALL, PA — Police in Marple Township issued their crime blotter Monday, outlining incidents in the township that occurred between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

See details of the blotter below:

February 23

Police responded to a residence in the 600 block of Old Marple Rd for a criminal mischief report. The caller reported that someone threw a brick through one of the front windows of the residence. The brick had messages written on it, and it is believed that the actor is known to the victim. Detective Ronsvalle is investigating the incident.

February 25

A resident received emails from someone purporting to be their boss and instructing them to make several purchases of gift cards from a local store. The emails instructed the resident/employee to purchase eBay cards and Google Play cards and forward photos of the front and back of the cards. They were to be used as gifts for "clients". The employee noticed that the email was coming from an unusual email address, contacted the boss by cell phone, and learned that he had not been sending the emails. The employee notified the Police. By the time the scam was noticed and stopped, almost $2,000 in gift cards were cashed out. Detective Gerrity is investigating the incident.

A resident advised that his computer was recently acting up, so he believed that his computer might have a virus. The resident found a link to Norton Antivirus on the internet and called the listed phone number. The person that answered the phone number requested credit card information so that he could fix the problem on the resident's computer. The resident provided his credit card number, but after hanging up, the resident thought that things seemed suspicious. The resident contacted his back and immediately canceled the card. The resident then received an email from Paypal containing an invoice for an unauthorized $1,230 purchase. Detective Lindelow is investigating the incident.

February 26

Officers responded to the Walmart at 400 S. State Road for a retail theft. Three juvenile males stole two hoverboards and a scooter from the store. The three juveniles, 10 to 12 years old, arrived by public transportation from Philadelphia without their parents' knowledge. The $273 worth of merchandise was recovered, and the juveniles were identified and released to their parents.

February 27

Officers responded to the area on West Chester Pike at 476 for a report of a pole on fire and a power outage in the area leaving the heavily traveled area without traffic signals. The area remained without power until 8:30 a.m. the next day as PECO, AT&T, and PennDOT worked through the night to remove the compromised pole and restore power to the area. See the press release regarding the above incident here.