A maintenance employee at the Montgomeryville Quality Inn is facing charges after it was discovered that he had allegedly broken into a room, stored his personal items and clothing inside, then latched the door so others couldn’t get inside.
Gerald Eichner, 44, of Montgomery Township, has been charged with felony counts of burglary and trespassing, along with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct, in connection with the investigation.
Montgomery Township Police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Bethlehem Pike at 10:20 a.m. on Sept. 19 for a reported burglary. Police spoke with the owner, who stated that one of his rooms had been broken into, and he found personal items, a large clothing rack, and paperwork belonging to his maintenance worker, identified as Eichner, inside of the room, according to charging documents.
The owner said the door had been locked with a safety latch from the inside, and the only other access was from a shared door to a neighboring room, in which Eichner had been staying, police said. Once gaining access to the room, the owner noted there were pry marks on the framing of the shared door, and the interior door locking mechanism had been disconnected, the report states.
Total damage to the shared door was $4,007, police said.
Investigators spoke with Eichner, who allegedly admitted to moving his belongings into the neighboring room without permission, however he denied breaking the lock, police said.
Charges were filed against Eichner on Sept. 28. He will be arraigned prior to his preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for Nov. 14 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using police reports, court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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