Upper Gwynedd Police have identified and arrested a male suspect whom they say is responsible for a series of thefts from unlocked vehicles and a home break-in that occurred in early September.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Scott Johnson, of Philadelphia, allegedly stole more than $3,000 worth of cash and property eight vehicles between Sept. 7 and Sept. 9. Stolen items included sunglasses, AirPods, two Macbook laptops, an iPhone and more, according to police.
Affected areas included the 100 block of Mendham Drive, the 100 block of Station Drive, the 1400 block of Marlyns Lane and the 1400 block of Sandys Lane.
Investigators said that on Sept. 9, they were also contacted about a home break-in along the 1200 block of North Wales Road. The homeowner stated that he went to check the home — which was up for sale — and found various items throughout the house that weren’t supposed to be there, as well as a broken kitchen window that was used to gain entry to the house. Police said some of the items within the home matched items that were reported as stolen from the vehicles earlier that day.
According to the criminal complaint, police recovered a Wawa gift card from the home that was stolen from one of the vehicles, and they were able to secure fingerprints from the card as well as trace the most recent purchases to the Wawa location along the 700 block of Walnut Street in North Wales Borough. From there, investigators secured surveillance footage showing the suspect, and the fingerprint analysis would later show as Johnson’s left thumb.
Johnson was taken into custody on Oct. 28 and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard, who set bail at $15,077 cash. Johnson was then remanded to county jail after failing to post, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Nov. 4 in front of Judge Leonard.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Upper Gwynedd Man Accused of Sexually Abusing 6-Year-old Girl While Babysitting
Woman Facing Felony Retail Theft Charges After Stealing from Wegmans Twice in One Week, Police Say
