A New Jersey woman and a Philadelphia man were arrested Wednesday afternoon after the woman allegedly stole several pairs of shoes from the Montgomeryville DSW store and the man was found to be in possession of stolen credit cards and heroin.
Montgomery Township Police were dispatched to the 700 block of Bethlehem Pike at 1:25 p.m. on May 24 for a report of a retail theft. Employees told police that a woman — later identified as Kerstin McGowan, 34, of Swedesboro, NJ — had stolen at least three pairs of shoes then left and entered a blue pickup truck that was last seen heading southbound on Bethlehem Pike, according to charging documents.
Police said they located the truck in the Airport Square Shopping Center and made contact with the driver — identified as 61-year-old James Brooks, of Philadelphia — along with McGowan, who was in the passenger seat. McGowan allegedly confessed to stealing four pairs of shoes from DSW, which police retrieved from the bed area of the truck. The combined value of the stolen shoes was $304.96, police said.
Due to having four prior retail theft convictions, McGowan was charged with felony counts of retail theft and receiving stolen property. She was also charged with a misdemeanor count of providing false identification to a law enforcement officer as she initially provided someone else’s name and birthdate, police said.
While on scene, Brooks exited his vehicle and consented to a search of his person, police said. Investigators located a black wallet containing 10 stolen credit cards and multiple ID cards for other people, as well as 18 baggies of suspected heroin, according to charging documents.
As a result, Brooks has been charged with 13 felony counts of access device fraud, along with a felony count of retail theft and misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and related offenses.
Investigators noted that when they retrieved the shoes from the bed of the truck, they observed numerous other new items they suspect had been stolen. The truck was subsequently impounded pending a search warrant on the vehicle, police said.
Brooks is in custody at county jail on a probation detainer, and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 13 at 10:45 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy.
McGowan is free on $5,000 unsecured bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled on the same date and time.
The investigation is ongoing.
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 Charged After Pointing Handgun at Driver During Road Rage Incident in Hilltown, Police Say
Philadelphia Man Accused of Stealing Catalytic Converters from Vehicles in Upper Gwynedd
Local Men Arrested After Attempting to Deliver $200,000 Worth of Cocaine in Hatfield, Police Say
Perkasie Man Arrested After Selling Stolen Generator on Facebook Marketplace, Police Say
