Arrests.
Police allege suspect was under influence, attempted to enter cars at North Penn Commons in broad daylight, trespassed into residence and stole shears
A man who frequents the Lansdale Borough area is facing multiple charges after police said he entered a borough residence without permission, stole property and ran barefoot through a neighborhood while under the influence of a controlled substance.
Rene Tepole-Garcia aka Rene Depeleo Garcia, 23, of no fixed address in Lansdale, was charged Sunday by Lansdale Police with felony criminal trespass, misdemeanor theft by unlawful taking, misdemeanor defiant trespass, and summary public drunkenness, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said the incident began around 12:25 p.m. Saturday, when officers received a call about a man attempting to enter vehicles in the parking lot of the North Penn Commons at 606 E. Main St.
About 12 minutes later, a resident of the 300 block of Greenwood Road reported that an unknown man had entered her home without permission, police said.
Additional calls described a man matching the suspect’s description walking barefoot through backyards and holding a pair of shears, last seen running toward Knapp Elementary School, the affidavit said.
Officers located Tepole-Garcia at Valley Brook Drive and Knapp Road around 12:52 p.m., police said
According to the affidavit, he was not wearing pants, and temperatures were about 57 degrees with snow still on the ground. Police recovered his pants roughly 100 yards away near the entrance to Knapp Elementary School.
When questioned, Tepole-Garcia told officers he removed his pants “so he could run better” and that he was running because “the guy was going to beat him,” according to the affidavit
An officer wrote that the defendant was not making sense, had a racing pulse, and appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance He was taken into custody at 12:58 p.m., police said.
Investigators later spoke with a Greenwood Road resident who reported that Tepole-Garcia entered his home through French doors leading off the rear deck after being confronted in the backyard, according to the complaint.
The homeowner told police the only way to access the yard was through a closed fence gate
Police also alleged Tepole-Garcia took a pair of bypass loppers valued at about $40 from another property.
Officers reported recovering two sneakers and a light blue hoodie along his path of travel.
Tepole-Garcia was jailed on $10,000 cash bail and has a preliminary hearing set for April 1 before Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
