Valery Yarmolyuk, 30, of Lansdale.
A Lansdale man is facing charges after he allegedly stole a credit card from a neighbor’s home then booked a two-day stay at the Pottstown Motel 6 last month.
According to the criminal complaint, police were contacted by a resident on the unit block of East Blaine Street on July 13 regarding fraudulent activity on his credit card. The resident notified police that five unauthorized purchases had been made on his account, totaling $311.97 between July 11 and July 12.
Purchases included a two day stay at the Pottstown Motel 6, $100 worth of items from Rite Aid in Lansdale, and additional smaller purchases at Quick Way Food Mart, Rite Aid and Wawa. A sixth purchase for an additional two nights at the Motel 6 was attempted but declined, the report states.
Through the investigation, police learned that a neighbor—identified as 30-year-old Valery Yarmolyuk—had been invited into the victim’s home during the evening of July 11, as Yarmolyuk said he was locked out of his home and needed to get out of the rain, the report states. Yarmolyuk is said to have taken a long time in the upstairs bathroom upon entry, where he also had access to the victim’s bedroom, in which the card was located, the report states.
Yarmolyuk left the residence, then returned a second time from 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m, according to the report. At 9:37 p.m., the first fraudulent purchase was made at Rite Aid, the report states. Police also pulled surveillance footage from the Motel 6 and Wawa, with both allegedly showing Yarmolyuk as the person using the card, the report states.
As a result of the investigation, Yarmolyuk was taken into custody last week and charged with one felony count of forgery, misdemeanor counts of access device fraud, identity theft, receiving stolen property and theft by unlawful taking.
Yarmolyuk was arraigned Aug. 6 by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $10,000 cash. Yarmolyuk was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail, but was bailed out three days later. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Levine at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 23.
Court records indicate that Yarmolyuk has four other active cases against him in Montgomery and Bucks counties, all of which have occurred within the last six weeks. Those include:
• A summary charge of prohibited text-based communications filed by the Royersford Borough Police Department on June 28.
• Misdemeanor charges of access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and criminal attempt-theft from a motor vehicle filed by the Limerick Township Police Department on July 15.
• Three counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, three counts of DUI and reckless driving filed by the Pottstown Borough Police Department on July 21.
• Misdemeanor charges of theft from a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property, filed by the Plumstead Township Police Department on July 23.
In the Limerick Township case, bail was set at $5,000 unsecured. In the Plumstead Township case, bail was initially set to 10-percent of $25,000, but was lowered three days later to 10-percent of $10,000, which Yarmolyuk posted himself on Aug. 7. Bail information for the Pottstown case was not available.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records, the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
Norristown Man Broke Into Lansdale Home, Abused Kitten: Police
Man Facing Charges After Fiery Crash On Dekalb Pike Monday Night
Man Subdues Attacking Burglar During Late Night Break-In: Police
Man Charged With Possession, Dissemination Of Child Pornography
Hatfield Man Threatens To Shoot Up Medical Facility, Charged With Felony Terroristic Threats
