A West Chester man is facing charges after he allegedly broke into a vehicle along the 2400 block of School Road in Hatfield Township.
According to the criminal complaint, Hatfield Township Police were dispatched at 10:08 p.m. on Nov. 7 for a report of a theft from a motor vehicle. Dispatch advised police that a tall male wearing black pants and a gray jacket was seen inside a vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence, and was reported to have fled the scene towards Wellington Way.
Upon arrival, police located the suspect—later identified as 33-year-old Ismael Steele—and observed him peering into vehicles in a residential driveway, the report states. When Steele noticed police, he allegedly began to walk in the opposite direction and tossed an item into the grass, according to the report.
Police retrieved the item, which allegedly turned out to be a credit card belonging to the adjoined neighbor of the initial caller, the report states. The neighbor later told police that his credit card had been stored in the center console of his unsecured vehicle, which had since been ransacked, the report states.
When police made contact with Steele, he stated that he had left his place of work and was attempting to find the “R5” train so he could go back to Philadelphia, the report states. Police said that Steele had a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his person, and a portable breath test allegedly indicated that he had a blood-alcohol content of .216 at the time of the incident, according to the report.
After a witness allegedly positively identified Steele as the person they saw going through the vehicle, he was placed under arrest and charged with misdemeanor counts of theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property and prowling at night time, along with a summary charge of public drunkenness, according to the complaint.
Steele has not yet been arraigned on the charges, so no booking image is available and bail has not been set. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 23, 20202, at 11 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
(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.)
See also:
Suspected Felony Lane Gang Member Arrested By Hatfield Township Police
Men Attempted To Shoplift From Wegmans By Shoving Steaks, Razors In Pants: Police
Husband, Wife Write 22 Bad Checks To Wegmans, Receive Over $4,500 In Merchandise: Police
Towamencin Man Charged With DUI While Awaiting Hearing On Rape, Kidnapping Charges
Two Brothers Accused Of Kidnapping, Raping Teen Boy In Towamencin
