A formerly-homeless woman now residing in Pottstown is facing three sets of charges after she allegedly stole three cars on three separate occasions between Jan. 19 and Feb. 21.
The first incident occurred in Souderton Borough on Jan. 19, when police received a report about a suspicious vehicle that had been parked along the unit block of County Line Road for several hours. Arriving police noted the vehicle displayed a car dealership sticker and had no license plate, then made contact with the driver, identified as 40-year-old Alicia Lincoln, according to charging documents.
Lincoln told police an associate of Ciocca Nissan in Quakertown had provided her with the vehicle at midnight, however the dealership informed police that the vehicle had been stolen, police said. Lincoln was subsequently taken into custody and charged with felony receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Court records show Lincoln — who was homeless at the time — was released on $1,000 unsecured bail.
Less than a week later, Lincoln allegedly stole a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek from a customer who was inside of a convenience store along the 300 block of Main Street in Lower Salford Township, police said. Surveillance footage from the store allegedly showed Lincoln standing outside of the vehicle while the owner was inside of the store, then entered the vehicle and drove away.
Police said they had prior contact with Lincoln several hours prior to the car being stolen, so they went back to that location and observed Lincoln exiting the vehicle. When informed that police were investigating a stolen vehicle, Lincoln reportedly confessed that she had taken it, police said.
Lincoln was charged with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, along with a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, court records show. She was released on $2,500 unsecured bail following her arraignment.
Several weeks later, Lincoln was again arrested in Lower Salford Township after she allegedly gained access to an unoccupied home via a hidden key on the property, then entered the home, stole an envelope containing $300, and used keys found on the kitchen counter to steal a 2022 Ford Escape that was parked in the driveway, according to charging documents. Lincoln was taken into custody after she was observed by the homeowner pulling the car back into the driveway and emptying the vehicle of her personal belongings, police said.
The occupants of the home told police they had never met Lincoln before, and the complaint does not indicate how Lincoln was able to locate the hidden key.
As a result of the third incident, Lincoln was charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property, along with misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property.
Lincoln was placed in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 cash bail on Feb. 21, however court records show she posted bail on Feb. 28 and now has a listed address in Pottstown Borough.
Court records show Lincoln has a preliminary hearing scheduled for the third set of charges on March 15 at 9:30 a.m. Charges from the first two incidents were held over for trial at their respective preliminary hearings.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Man Accused of Attempting to Steal Catalytic Converters at Merck, North Montco Tech Parking Lots
Man Arrested on Assault, Trespassing Charges After Forcing Way into North Wales Library, Police Say
