Men Attempted to Shoplift from Wegmans by Shoving Steaks, Razors in Pants: Police

North Penn Now Staff•

William Adams, 52, left, and Darius Abdullah, 52, right.

Two men from Philadelphia are facing felony theft charges in connection with an incident that occurred at Wegmans Food Market in Montgomery Township last week.

According to the criminal complaint, Montgomery Township Police responded to a theft in progress at 9:17 p.m. on Nov. 14 along the 800 block of Bethlehem Pike. Upon arrival, police spoke with a Wegmans Asset Protection Specialist who stated that two male suspects—later identified as 52-year-old William Adams and 52-year-old Darius Abdullah—had allegedly been captured on surveillance stealing items from the store.

Police learned that the two arrived together in the same vehicle, entered the store and then split up, according to the report. Both began to select and conceal merchandise, with Adams allegedly placing razors and deodorant into his pants, the report states. The two men then met at the meat department, at which point Adams allegedly grabbed a strip steak and placed it into his pants, police said.

Adams then allegedly attempted to leave the store without paying, but he was stopped by a Wegmans employee in the parking lot and the stolen merchandise was recovered, the report states. A short time later, Abdullah allegedly exited the front of the store with a shopping cart filled with merchandise, but he was also stopped by the employee and the merchandise was recovered, according to the report.

Total value of the stolen merchandise was $853.60, police said.

As a result of the incident, Adams and Abdullah have both been charged with felony counts of conspiracy to commit retail theft, retail theft and receiving stolen property.

Both men were arraigned on Nov. 15 by Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy, who set bail at $20,000 cash for each. They were then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail, and their next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Nov. 22 at 9:30 a.m. in front of Judge Duffy.

(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and 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.)