Photo by James Short.
The victim was awakened by a family member, who reported seeing a woman leave the Lansdale home and drive away in the vehicle, police said
A Towamencin woman is facing multiple charges after police said she stole a friend’s vehicle while he slept inside his home on Sunday.
Diane Marie Laird, 47, of the 900 block of Stockton Court, was charged by Lansdale Police with felony theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and misdemeanor unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
Police were dispatched around 1:24 a.m. Sunday to the 800 block of Wedgewood Avenue for a report of a stolen vehicle, where the victim told officers his 2009 Dodge Caliber had been taken from outside his residence, per the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the victim told police he had been spending time earlier in the evening with a woman he knew as “Dianna Laird,” whom he described as a friend he had known on and off for several years.
The victim said he later fell asleep inside his bedroom, leaving his car keys on top of a dresser, while Laird was in the room with him, according to police.
He was later awakened by a family member, who reported seeing a woman leave the home and drive away in the vehicle, police said. The witness told police he observed the individual using a phone light, making it difficult to identify her face, but noted she had long hair and exited the neighborhood in an unusual direction, toward Schwab Road instead of the Moyer Road exit, according to the affidavit. The victim told police he had not given anyone permission to take the car.
Police said the victim identified Laird as the only non-family member in the home at the time.
Through database searches, officers identified Laird as a resident of Stockton Court in the Morgandale area of Towamencin Township. Police checked that location but did not locate the vehicle.
Laird is jailed on $577 cash bail, which includes a probation detainer. A preliminary hearing has been rescheduled to April 29 before Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
