Courts (Credit: MediaNews Group)
The 18-year-old Pennsburg man called 911 to report he not only burglarized a Montgomery County vape store, but also crashed afterward
An 18-year-old Pennsburg Borough man pleaded guilty last month to felony counts of criminal trespassing and theft by unlawful taking, and misdemeanor DUI, for breaking into a Vape To Go store in Lower Salford Township and then crashing his Nissan on Yoder Road with a BAC of .117%.
Tyler Jackson Herman, of the 1000 block of Valley Court, was sentenced last month to 136 days served to 23 months in Montgomery County jail by Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, according to court records. Herman's license is also suspended for one year.
Herman admitted to police that he used a rock to break into the vape store in the Harley Commons Shopping Center at 345 Main Street in the Harleysville area of the township at 2:04 a.m. on June 15, 2025, according to an affidavit filed by Lower Salford Township investigators.
Police were dispatched to a burglary alarm at the store, where they found a side glass door pane had been broken out, making a hole large enough to climb through, police said. Backup arrived to clear the inside of the store; officers found no one, but rather merchandise scattered along the floor near a display case, police said.
Then, at 2:38 a.m., Montgomery County emergency dispatch radioed police regarding an accident at 169 Yoder Road from a 911 caller. The caller? Herman himself.
Herman told police he stole from Vape To Go, according to the complaint.
A corporal remained with the store manager at the scene of the burglary, while officers responded to the crash. About 100 yards north of the intersection of Yoder and Clemens roads, they found Herman standing next to a red Nissan Maxima with no license plate, with heavy front-end damage and passenger side rear wheel damage.
Herman was detained, and police returned to the car, where, from outside the car, they saw large quantities of merchandise on the passenger seat and floor consistent with Vape To Go merchandise, police said.
Herman admitted it took him three attempts to break the glass door with a rock, according to the complaint.
While speaking with Herman, he had an odor of alcohol emanating from his body. When asked if he had any drugs or alcohol, Herman said he drank three Four Lokos prior to calling 911, police said.
He told police he crashed his car twice before it became inoperable.
A preliminary breath test at the scene resulted in a BAC of .117%, police said. Police took him to Lower Salford Police headquarters, where a field sobriety test was conducted, according to the complaint.
He refused the sobriety tests after vomiting several times, police said, but then agreed to a chemical test of his blood. Herman was taken to Lansdale Police Department to meet with VMSC Emergency Medical Services personnel for a blood draw at 4:16 a.m., police said, which was sent for analysis of BAC.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
