Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Muffler System Cut, Attempt to Steal Copper Fittings for Heroin Additction, Cut Wires By Cell Towers, $145 Retail Theft, Toy Store Employee Steals From Coworkers

In this week's incidents in Marple, a lot of cutting and snipping occurred with copper including wires by cell towers and a muffler system as well as an attempt to steal a bucket full of copper fittings, a retail theft and theft done by a coworker.

Muffler System Cut Off of Car

On March 31 at 7:50 a­­.m., Marple police responded to Abbott Drive at mechanical contracting company Mid Atlantic Mechanical for a reported theft.

Police spoke with the manager and employee at the company upon arrival, who told them that the muffler system had been cut off one of their vehicles sometime between March 30 at around 5:30 p.m. and March 31 at 7:45 a.m., according to the police incident report.

The employee told police that he parked a box van in front of Abbott Drive at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, said police.

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According to the manager, the muffler system is valued at approximately $2,000 and requested extra police watch as he felt that the shop was being targeted for some reason.

Thief Tries to Steal Bucket of Copper Fittings for Heroin Addiction

On March 29 at approximately 10 a.m., police arrived to Home Depot on Reed Road for a reported theft. Clifton Heights police also responded to the location for a suspected car—Honda Civic from Clifton Heights.

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According to the incident report, the suspect was observed carrying a large plastic bucket filled with numerous copper fittings out of the Home Depot store. After he passed all points of sale in the store, police said, the man saw an employee observing him in which he then dropped the bucket.

When asked about the bucket full of copper fittings by the employee, the man denied that it was his and told the employee he was looking at ceiling fans. According to the report, the man quickly walked away and got into his Honda Civic and drove away.

The total cost of copper fittings was valued at $818.75. Clifton Heights police caught up to the suspect car at 26 West Broadway Avenue in Clifton Heights.

The man was also identified in another copper theft on March 23 from the Broomall Home Depot, in which the suspect car involved was also a black Honda Civic. With that theft, two men–one of which was the same man who tried to steal the bucket of copper fittings–entered the store and $1,344 worth of copper-filled wire was stolen, said police.

The man was arrested and told police he is battling a heroin addiction and committed this type of theft to support his drug habit, according to the incident report. On the March 23 theft, the man told police he and a friend, who he met in rehabilitation center, stole the copper wire and sold it in New Jersey.

The man admitted to another few prior thefts at the Broomall Home Depot, adding that he really wanted  to stop injecting drug. According to police, a total monetary loss was $2,162.81 from the thefts.

Network Services' Ground Wires By Cell Tower Snipped

On March 24 at approximately 11:45 a.m., police reported to the cell tower in the back of a single-family home at 752 Old Marple Road in Springfield for a copper theft from a cell phone tower.

In the incident report, technician told police that sometime between Feb. 21 and March 7, someone entered the locked gate and cut all the copper ground wires from each of the towers.

Police said the cost to replace the wires for the PCS tower is approximately $500. According to police,  AT&T and Sprint/Nextel also have towers located at the site, in which all have had their ground wires cut.

First Offender Attempts to Steal $145 at TJ Maxx

On March 23 at 4:42 p.m., police arrived at the retail store TJ Maxx in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center for a reported retail theft.

The woman involved was arrested for retail theft and had taken and concealed approximately $145 worth of merchandise, according to the incident report.

Police said the woman had paid for a few items–other than the ones concealed–and exited the store where the store security stopped her.

The woman was cited and released with the STOP program paperwork and identified as a first-time offender.

Employee at Toy Store Steals Money From Coworkers

On March 19 at 8:20 p.m., police reported to the Learning Express in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center for a reported theft.

Upon arrival, police spoke to a manager who received complaints from other employees that another employee had been stealing money from their purses during work shifts over the past several months, according to the incident report.

Police said the manager reviewed the store's tape and observed the employee enter the office area and went into two employee’s purses and removed money from each.

Prior to police arrival, according to the report, the manager spoke with the employee and showed her the tape at which the employee admitted to the thefts.

The employee was arrested and taken to the police station. At the station, police said, the employee admitted to stealing money three times since early February from her fellow employees.

In early February, she stole $20 from one employee’s purse and again on March 17, where $30 was taken from the same employee’s purse. Police said a total of $37 was taken on March 17.

On March 19, the employee stole $15 from the same employee’s purse and additional $14 from another employee’s purse.

When asked where the money was from the March 19th theft, the employee removed the money from her bra and turned it over to the police.


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