WPD Reports: Plymouth Meeting Burglary, Grandma Scammed

All information is according to official police reports filed at the Whitemarsh Township Police Department. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Burglary:
At approximately 4:21 p.m. on June 29, a resident of the 200 block of Militia Hill Road, Plymouth Meeting, reported to police that an unknown person had entered their property through an unlocked side porch window during the day. According to the victims, a Rock Island 1911-M1 semi-automatic handgun and $1,300 in cash were taken.

Wire fraud:
At approximately 7:35 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, a resident of the 4100 block of Hain Drive, Lafayette Hill, reported to police that someone had attempted to scam his 82-year-old grandmother.

According to the resident, an unknown person claiming to be from the “Mexican Consulate” contacted his grandmother and told her that her grandson had multiple fines, which needed to be paid. They instructed her to wire $2,500 via Western Union to a location in Montreal, Canada, which she did.

Upon becoming aware of the scam, the family cancelled the transaction and contacted the number, at which point the unknown person became angry and requested the tracking number of the wire transer. The family then hung up.

According to the report, the phone numbers used were 514-560-4886 and 514-568-4559, and are registered as Canadian landlines.

Criminal mischief:
At approximately 11:56 a.m. on Monday, June 25, a business on the 900 block of Spring Mill Avenue, Conshohocken, reported that an unknown person had broken a rear window of their building by throwing a rock. The damages were estimated at $100 and the business owner requested additional weekend patrols.

Unauthorized use of a vehicle:
At approximately 1:39 p.m. on Monday, June 25, a resident of the 400 block of Fort Hill Circle, Fort Washington, reported to police that she had given a man permission to use her vehicle, but that he had not returned it.

According to a police report, the alleged victim had met the man four days earlier and knew him only as “Willy.” She let Willy borrow her car, but he failed to return it, even after he told her he would do so by text message. Finally, the alleged victim called police, who contacted the man and left a message on his voicemail.

The woman then contacted police to say Willy said he would be returning the vehicle. However, she then said she suspected Willy and an unknown female friend of stealing a Georgio Armani watch ($500), a platinum/gold necklace ($450), a gold wedding band ($400), a diamond earring ($1,000) a blue topaz ring ($300), a ruby/diamond earring, a diamond heart necklace, and an iPhone 4 ($500) when they visited her home earlier that week.

Theft:
At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, a resident of the 4100 block of Fountain Green Street, Lafayette Hill, reported to police that someone had stolen a wallet and sunglasses from his unlocked vehicle.

The victim said the wallet contained approximately $70 and a few credit cards, and that the theft likely occurred sometime after Saturday, June 23. The victim recovered the wallet on a neighboring property, minus the valuables.

Criminal mischief:
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 26, a Philadelphia woman reported to Whitemarsh Police that a mechanic had discovered a razor blade in her vehicle’s tire after it blew out while exiting the Giant at 10 Ridge Pike. The woman also told police that there had been multiple reports of vehicle vandalism in her neighborhood and that she would report the incident to Philadelphia Police.

Attempted vehicle theft:
At approximately 7:23 a.m. on June 28, a resident of the 7000 block of Summit Avenue, Conshohocken, reported to Whitemarsh Police that someone had attempted to steal his car while it was parked in the Fort Washington train station. The man told police that he had left his vehicle unlocked while at work, and found a misplaced tire iron and exposed ignition wires upon returning.