Anti-Theft Bill Makes it Easier to Become a Felon

A proposed law would lower the value needed for a felony charge in retail theft.

A new bill passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives could crack down on retail theft, or make it easier for someone to become a felon.  Under House Bill 1000 any incident of retail theft in which the value of the items stolen exceeds $1,000 can result in a third-degree felony charge. Before this bill the cutoff line for a felony charge of retail theft was $2,000. As the law exists now, there are a number of ways one can be charged for retail theft as explained below: The bill passed 195-0 in the House and now moves on to the Senate. Do you support this bill? Let us know what you think in the comments area below. 

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TE Police Blotter

Police Searching for Berwyn Fur Theft Suspect

Police say a woman walked out of a store after breaking a $3k coat free from a security chain.

Easttown Police provided security camera photographs and the following information to Patch. All Suspects are considered innocent until proven otherwise through judicial due process. We are investigating a retail theft from Chic and Simple Resale (511 Old Lancaster Road- Berwyn). A white female removed a $3,000 fur coat by breaking it free from a chain and walking out of the store without paying for it.  The female was seen with another female entering/exiting a blue BMW SUV. This occurred on Wednesday December 12th around 2PM.

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Police Investigate Reported Theft at Melmark

A suspect observed on a security camera was questioned in the case and says he saw something disturbing in the room where an iPad was reported missing.

On July 26 at approximately 5:15 p.m., Newtown police received a theft report from a complainant at the Melmark home on 2600 Wayland Road in Berwyn. According to the report, the complainant told police that sometime between 4 p.m. the day before and noon that day, someone had stolen an Apple iPad from the Melmark complex. According to the report, the iPad was kept in a secure room, although the cleaning crew did have access to the room. A cleaner was seen on video surveillance entering and exiting the room but not seen carrying or having possession of the missing iPad, according to the report. In addition, the cleaner was questioned about the missing iPad and told police he had left the room when he saw a rat. The cleaner has since been …

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Thieves Target More Cars in Tredyffrin

The victims all had one thing in common.

Thieves looking for one common thing have hit more cars in Tredyffrin Township. According to Tredyffrin Police items have been take from several cars lately. In four of the new cases the vehicles were left unlocked. Upper Gulph Road in Wayne May 5 - Police were called to the 200 block of Upper Gulph Road in Wayne.The victims called to report that they discovered a purse was missing from their unlocked vehicle. According to police, the theft occurred sometime overnight. Items in the bag included a camera, valued at $180.00, a wallet containing ID, US currency, and several credit cards. Grove Avenue in Devon May 11- Two victims told Tredyffrin Police that both of their vehicles were entered sometime overnight. The victims reported they had …

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Bob Byrne

2:30 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I asked one of the TT Police Detectives about that very question this morning. He echoed what other detective from many departments I have spoken to over the years have said about these crimes. It can very difficult to catch the thieves because they strike in the middle of the night, very often in private driveways. He says the most effective method for catching them is when the thieves try to …   more ›

TT Police Investigate iPhone in Bathroom Case

Phones get lost in the toilet all the time, but this case is a different.

Toilets and iPhones are not a good mix, but in this case Tredyffrin Police say what happened after a phone popped out of a pocket is actually a crime. Tredyffrin Police were called to an unnamed business in the 200 block of Swedesford just before 6:30 Saturday night after a man said his iPhone had been stolen. Police say the man reported he had used the men's room and then discovered that his phone had fallen out of his pocket. When he went back to the restroom to get the iPhone it was gone. It's not known how long it took the man to realize his phone had fallen out of his pocket - or what phone he used to call the police about his phone. Police say the phone was valued at $700.

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Bob Byrne

12:39 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cast4, Police have in fact released information about thefts and we have published those stories too.   more ›

Brazen Thief Steals 10 Blenders from Devon Store

A thief uses a clever cover to steal 10 blenders.

Tredyffrin Police say a brazen thief claiming to be a company representative stole ten blenders from a local store. According to police, a man claiming to be a representative from the Vitamax Company walked into a store in the 800 block of Lancaster Avenue just before noon on Friday, March 30. He told store employees he was under instructions to remove ten blenders from the store's display. A Vitamax regional manager later confirmed that there were no orders to remove the blenders. Police say the ten blenders are worth $5,000.  The case is under investigation.

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Nate Adams

6:33 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012

So how does one go about fencing 10 blenders?   more ›