A Harleysville woman was arraigned on three different sets of retail theft charges on Wednesday, in connection with a trio of incidents from April 10 through June 6 in Upper Gwynedd and Lower Salford townships.
Elizabeth Ann Houser, 36, has been charged with three felony counts of retail theft, one felony count of receiving stolen property, and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property in connection with the three arrests. She is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on a probation detainer.
The first incident was reported on April 10 at 7:25 p.m. when Lower Salford Police were dispatched to the Walmart along the 600 block of Main Street for a late report of a retail theft. Police said Houser entered the store pushing a stroller with a blanket covering it, then proceeded to conceal two cases of Red Bull in the bottom of the stroller before leaving the store without paying.
An arrest warrant was issued for Houser after she was identified, and police noted she had two prior retail theft convictions at the time that charges were filed.
The total value of the stolen merchandise from Walmart was $40, police said.
The second incident was reported on June 4 at 7:16 a.m. when Upper Gwynedd Police were dispatched to the Royal Farms along the 400 block of Sumneytown Pike to take a report on a retail theft that had occurred the prior evening. Police said Houser entered the store at 11:31 p.m., placed two ice cream bars in her pocket, took two Gatorades, then went into the bathroom. Upon exiting the bathroom, the Gatorades were no longer in her hands, according to charging documents.
She then allegedly took two cheesecake parfaits and a premade salad and went into the bathroom, and again exited the bathroom with the items no longer in view, police said. An employee confronted Houser, however she denied taking any items and left the store, according to the complaint.
The total value of the items that were stolen from Royal Farms was $30.32, police said.
The third incident occurred on June 6 at 11:43 p.m. when Lower Salford Police were dispatched to the Wawa along the 200 block of Main Street for a report of a theft in progress. Arriving police encountered Houser in the parking lot and recognized her due to the arrest warrant stemming from the Walmart theft, police said.
Investigators said Houser walked into the store with a stroller and placed milk, bread, chips, and ice cream under the stroller before entering the bathroom and exiting with the items no longer in view. A store employee confronted Houser and learned the items had been hidden in a diaper bag beneath the stroller, according to the complaint.
Houser reportedly told the employee that she had no food stamps to buy anything, and she had no food in her house, according to the complaint. She was subsequently taken into custody.
The total value of items stolen from Wawa was $15.90, police said, bringing the total value of allegedly stolen merchandise across all three incidents to $86.22.
Houser was arraigned on all three sets of charges on Wednesday morning. She has a joint preliminary hearing on the two sets of charges in Lower Salford on June 26 at 9:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Albert Augustine. A preliminary hearing on the Upper Gwynedd charges has been set for June 22 at 9:15 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.
According to Pennsylvania’s retail theft statute, retail theft is graded as a third-degree felony when the alleged offense is a third or subsequent offense, regardless of the value of the merchandise alleged to be stolen. If convicted of felony retail theft, Houser would face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Chalfont Woman Charged with Felony Retail Theft After Stealing $15 in Merch from Wawa, Police Say
Woman Locks Herself in Bathroom During Attempted Home Invasion in Lower Gwynedd, Police Say
Second Suspect Arrested in Armed Road Rage Incident in Hilltown Wawa Parking Lot, Police Say
Man Charged After Pointing Handgun at Driver During Road Rage Incident in Hilltown, Police Say
