A North Wales man was sentenced to probation in November after admitting to shoving bananas into the exhaust pipe of a woman’s vehicle, as well as burning the tire stems on the vehicle.
Court records show 70-year-old John Michel pleaded guilty to one summary count of criminal mischief – damage to property as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Additional charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct were dropped in exchange for Michel’s plea.
Following Michel’s guilty plea, Common Pleas Judge Thomas Rogers sentenced him to 60 days’ probation along with the requirement that he have no further contact with the victim.
North Wales Borough Police were initially contacted on Aug. 1, 2022, regarding vandalism to a vehicle. The victim stated she had been having difficulty with her vehicle and the check engine light came on July 26, 2022, prompting her to park her vehicle in her driveway. Several days later, the victim was informed by a co-worker that Michel had allegedly placed five bananas into her vehicle’s exhaust pipe as well as burned the stems to all four of her tires.
While taking the report from the victim, police confirmed they observed bananas inside of the tailpipe as well as damage to the tire stems, according to charging documents.
Police then spoke to the co-worker, who said Michel had randomly entered their salon on July 28, 2022, stating he was their new landlord and the victim had been fired, the report states. North Penn Now has confirmed neither of those statements were true.
Michel also allegedly told the coworker he had shoved the bananas up the exhaust pipe and burned the tire stems, according to police, adding that audio from surveillance footage of the encounter included the confession.
As a result of the investigation, Michel was officially charged on Aug. 1, 2022. He was taken into custody four days later and arraigned by District Judge Marc Alfarano, who set bail at $10,000 unsecured.
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