Housing Dispute Leads to Felony Assault, Conspiracy Charges for Towamencin Woman

North Penn Now Staff•

Laura Kelly, 47, of Towamencin.

A Towamencin woman is facing several felony charges after she allegedly solicited multiple people to assault a couple who was living in her home, in an effort to get them to leave.

According to the criminal complaint, Towamencin Township Police were dispatched to a home along Concord Drive in Towamencin Condominiums at 1:39 p.m. on Aug. 23 for a report of a domestic disturbance. The caller initially told county dispatch that her boyfriend was arguing with another male outside, then later advised that her boyfriend was being beaten with pieces of wood by multiple individuals.

Upon arrival, police noticed several large pieces of broken wood in front of the residence, and when they encountered the male victim, he reportedly had a bloody ear and multiple lacerations on his face and neck. The victim and his girlfriend told police that they were inside the residence when someone came to the door and shouted, "It’s the landlord.” When the female answered the door, she said she recognized a man she knew—identified as 22-year-old Brandon Vanderpool of Milford Township—as well as 47-year-old Laura Kelly, who is the sole lessee of the property, according to the complaint.

The woman told police that she was confused when she saw Kelly, and at that moment, Vanderpool and a third, unidentified actor, began to assault her boyfriend with pieces of wood, the report states. The woman and the victim told police they believed the assault was an effort by Kelly to scare them into leaving the residence, according to the complaint. (Editor’s note: The nature of how the victim and his girlfriend came to occupy the residence is unclear, and when asked for comment, police declined, citing ongoing related proceedings.)

Five days later, police returned to the residence and spoke with Kelly, who allegedly denied any knowledge of the incident. However, later that day, the victim and his girlfriend provided a statement to police reinforcing that Kelly was present at the time of the assault, the report states.

Through the continuing investigation, police later learned that Kelly allegedly had used Facebook Messenger to hire multiple people to assault the victim in an attempt to get him and his girlfriend to permanently leave the residence. Police also learned that Kelly had provided the suspects with a cover story, should they encounter police, the report states.

As a result of the incident, both Kelly and Vanderpool were arrested and charged. Though the complaint mentions an unidentified third actor, police have since told North Penn Now that they have identified the third actor, but they may not have been an accomplice and they have not been charged at this time.

Following the investigation:

• Kelly has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault, attempted aggravated assault, solicitation of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, as well as a misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice.

• Vanderpool has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault, attempted aggravated assault, solicitation of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, obstruction of justice, and summary counts of disorderly conduct and harassment.

Kelly was arraigned on Sept. 11 by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at 10-percent of $25,000 cash. She was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post. Her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Levine on Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Vanderpool was arraigned on Sept. 16 by Judge Levine, who set bail at 10-percent of $25,000 cash. He was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Levine on Sept. 24 at 1:45 p.m.

(Editor’s note: Some details of this incident have been intentionally removed in order to protect the victims. 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.)