A Philadelphia man was arrested on Thursday night after he allegedly attempted to force entry into a home in Lower Gwynedd as a fearful homeowner locked herself in the bathroom and watched the incident playout on security cameras.
Hykeem Wells, 40, has been charged with one felony count of burglary along with a misdemeanor count of possessing an instrument of crime and a summary charge of criminal trespassing in connection with the June 1 incident. He’s currently in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.
Lower Gwynedd Police were dispatched to a home on Florence Drive at 8:03 p.m. for a report of a burglary in progress. The female caller stated that an unknown male — later identified as Wells — was using some sort of tool to force entry on their front door, police said. The woman indicated she had locked herself in a second-floor bathroom and was watching Wells attempt to gain entry via exterior surveillance cameras, according to the criminal complaint.
Multiple area police departments, including units from Upper Gwynedd, Upper Dublin, Whitpain Township, and Ambler Borough, were also dispatched to the scene.
Arriving police located Wells behind trees and shrubbery on the west side of the home and took him into custody, police said. Investigators recovered multiple bags near the front door of the home belonging to Wells, which included various tools, paperwork, clothing, and hardware, according to charging documents.
Police noted the weather stripping on the front door had been separated, and numerous metal screws were resting below the front door on the ground.
In an interview with police, the woman — who was described as visibly shaken — said she heard a noise at her front door and went to another room to view her exterior surveillance footage. She said she observed Wells placing a bag at her front door, attempting to use a tool to force entry, then walking around the home attempting to gain access via several other doors, according to the complaint.
She also noted that Wells was seen talking on his phone from outside the home, police said.
The woman was taken outside where she positively identified Wells as the man she had seen on her security system, police said. She additionally confirmed the damage to the front door wasn’t there prior to his arrival, according to the complaint.
Wells was arraigned the following morning by Magisterial District Judge Paul Leo and was transferred to county jail after failing to post bail. Court records show his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on June 15 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.
A review of court records shows Wells has an extensive history of arrests and convictions across Montgomery County and Philadelphia on charges ranging from criminal trespassing and drug offenses to theft, forgery, and disarming a law enforcement officer. At the time of the incident in Lower Gwynedd, Wells was free on $1,000 cash bail on a felony criminal trespassing – breaking into structure charge from an incident in Norristown Borough in April 2022.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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