WPD Reports: Burglary, Car Theft in Lafayette Hill

Disorderly/suspicious conduct:
At approximately 2:39 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, an off duty Whitemarsh Police officer allegedly witnessed two males smoking marijuana in an SUV at 517 Germantown Pike, in front of From the Boot restaurant.

The officer had the individuals exit the vehicle, at which time the suspects allegedly said that there was a marijuana blunt inside the vehicle, but no other drugs. Neither individual had a valid driver’s license and the vehicle's registration was expired, police said.

Inside the SUV, officers did find a police radio scanner, but found that it was switched off and tuned to Philadelphia frequencies. The men said that they were there to pick up a girlfriend, but could not say where she was located and otherwise weren't making "much sense," officers wrote. The two men made several calls for a ride, at which point two other male individuals appeared on foot. However, since the vehicle was unregistered and there was no proof of insurance, the vehicle was towed.

Eventually, a woman did arrive in a van, but it had an expired registration. Police warned her for the registration, and cited the first two individuals for disorderly conduct. All parties were Philadelphia residents between the ages of 23 and 34.

Stolen property/trespassing/drug violations:
At approximately 8:07 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 17, a resident of the 200 block of Hill Crest Avenue called Whitemarsh police to report a domestic disturbance at their household.

According to the resident, a 26-year-old female relative and a male acquaintance were found sleeping in the garage, without permission. Upon police arrival, officers allegedly found several empty heroin bags, a black pouch containing 6 rings and 9 coins, and a bracelet, either in the garage or on the suspects' persons. Other residents of the house confirmed the valuables belonged to them.

In addition, another relative of the suspect said that she had found a credit card opened in her name inside the house, and suspected the 26-year-old female of fraudulently using her information to open an account. In reviewing the account, the victim believed that approximately $8,561.47 in cash advances were made using the card, in addition to $2,790.14 in unauthorized purchases.

Motor vehicle theft:
At approximately 4:55 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 19, a resident of the 4000 block of Joshua Road reported that her white 2011 Nissan Murano had been stolen from her driveway.

The woman told police that she had been working in a bad section of Norristown, and had valuables in plain sight within her locked car. Upon returning home, she left the vehicle running in her driveway while she went into the house for about five minutes, then discovered that it was gone.

A neighbor recalled seeing the vehicle leaving the driveway erratically, backing over a curb and into oncoming traffic, but did not get a look at the driver. Police were unable to locate the vehicle in the area. The SUV contained:

• $450 in cash
• iPhone S ($400)
• Coach handbag ($300)
• Kate Spade wallet ($200)
• Capitol One credit card
• Citi Bank credit card
• TD Bank credit card
• 11 bottles of liquor ($200)
• 26 sq. ft. of tile ($120)
• Portable DVD player ($100)
• Easy pass

Burglary:
At approximately 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, police responded to a home on the first block of Sugar Maple Lane, Lafayette Hill, after an audible burglary alarm was triggered. No further details were provided in a subsequent report.

Police were again called to the home at 5:24 p.m. the next day, after another alarm was triggered. This time, it appeared that someone had broken through a piece of wood used to cover a broken window, and had taken $40 that was "previously left on the countertop."

A K-9 unit was able to track a trail to a nearby home, the owner of which was "contacted and advised" of the event.

Theft:
At approximately 2:02 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20, a patron of the Giant at 10 Ridge Pike reported to police that she believed someone had stolen a purse out of her vehicle while she made a quick trip into the store.

The purse was described as black leather and contained:

• AT&T slider cellphone
• Boscov's, Kohl's, Lowe's, and Macy's credit cards
• Wells Fargo checkbook
• PA Driver's license
• BJ's membership card
• Visa and Blue Cross medical cards
• House Keys
• $6 in cash
• Various made out checks

Public Drunkenness:
At approximately 8:13 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, a resident of Fields Drive, Lafayette Hill, reported a domestic disturbance. The man reported that he had been arguing with his son through the night, and that his son had been drinking and was a danger to himself.

Responding officers located the son at a nearby intersection and determined his BAC to be .182%. He was taken into custody for public drunkenness.

Theft:
At approximately 9:32 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, the family member of a patient at a Stenton Avenue medical facility reported to police that someone had removed a T-Mobile tablet device from the patient's room. The tablet had last been seen four days earlier, and the patient was described as not being fully aware of their surroundings.

Public drunkenness:
At approximately 12:35 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22, police responded to the Wawa at 406 Germantown Pike for the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, they located a 66-year-old Ridge Pike man who appeared to be highly intoxicated and carried four open bottles of vodka, police said.

The man was taken into custody and given a breath test, which registered a .302% BAC, police said. After saying numerous times that he wanted to take his own life, a mental health facility was contacted, and employees stated they would evaluate him once sober.

Fraud:
At approximately 12:12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18, a resident of the 400 block of Militia Hill Road reported a possible fraud attempt to police. The 83-year-old woman had received a check in the mail stating that she had won $255,000 in the "USA MEGA" sweepstakes. Enclosed was a check for approximately $4,000 and instructions to cash it.

However, police believed the sweepstakes to be fraudulent, and voided the check. Upon calling the contact information and identifying themselves, the man who answered hung up, police said.