Two men from Norristown are facing more than a dozen charges each in connection with an alleged conspiracy to steal from multiple vehicles in Upper Gwynedd Township over the summer.
Jamair Harris, 22, has been charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property, as well as 14 misdemeanor counts of theft from a motor vehicle, in connection with the investigation. He’s currently being held at county jail in lieu of $5,077 cash bail, with the $77 indicating a probation/parole detainer was also filed.
Tayshaun Carey, 18, has been charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property, as well as seven counts of conspiracy – theft from a motor vehicle, seven counts of theft from a motor vehicle, and one count of institutional vandalism, in connection with the investigation. He’s currently being held at the county jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.
Upper Gwynedd Police were initially dispatched to the Parc at West Point apartment complex along the 100 block of Church Road at 3:44 a.m. on July 19 for a reported theft in progress. The caller told dispatch that two males were sitting in a Toyota Camry while two other males were “checking car doors,” and noted they were all wearing dark colored long-sleeved clothing with gloves and face masks.
Upon arrival, police learned that one male — later identified as Carey — had fled the scene on foot down Church Road towards Lansdale, and a second male — later identified as Harris — had fled the scene on foot towards Royal Farms, according to charging documents. The Camry was later determined to have been stolen out of Norristown Borough, police said.
Police took Carey into custody near the intersection with Kneedler Road at 3:59 a.m., and Harris was later captured at the Sunoco gas station at 5:54 a.m., the report states. Investigators said Carey was in possession of a stolen iPhone at the time of his arrest, and Harris was found to be in possession of translucent nitrile gloves that matched the gloves found just outside of the stolen Camry.
Through investigation, police said they determined Harris and Carey had struck at least six vehicles across South Broad Street, Hartley Place, Maxwell Place and Church Road, with stolen items including wallets, a GPS, an EZ Pass transponder, a Pulse+ Taser, and miscellaneous other items. Some victims reported their vehicles had been ransacked but nothing had been stolen, and in one case, a victim reported nothing had been stolen but they found a pair of black sunglasses on the front seat that did not belong to them, according to the complaint.
A search of the stolen Camry several days later uncovered additional stolen items, as well as black face masks, multiple license plates and additional pairs of the translucent nitrile gloves, police said.
On Aug. 19, Carey arrived at the Upper Gwynedd Police Station and consented to a search of his cell phone, police said. The search revealed two calls to Harris two minutes apart that occurred just as police were initially arriving to the scene on July 19.
Court records show charges were filed against Harris and Carey on Sept. 14. Harris was arraigned by District Judge Harry Nesbit on Sept. 16, and Carey was arraigned by District Judge Denise Ashe on Sept. 27.
Harris has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. in front of District Judge Suzan Leonard. Carey has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Judge Ashe.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
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Man Took Sexual Images of Himself at Public Park While Adults, Children Were in View, Police Say
Montco Man Accused of Killing Cat During Domestic Incident in Whitpain Township
Father Shot Attempting to Rescue Daughter from Assault in Lower Gwynedd
