Police: $18,000 In Merchandise Stolen From JC Penney's; Pair Arrested
ABINGTON, Pa., (CBS) -- Abington Township Police have made two arrests after more than $18,000 in merchandise was stolen from JC Penney's at Willow Grove Park Mall.
Officers responded at 3:13 a.m. Wednesday to a security alarm at the store in the 2600 block of Moreland Road in the Willow Grove Section of Abington Township.
Police say a responding officer saw a gray Ford Focus traveling south on Easton Road, coming from the direction of the mall. The Ford was traveling at a high rate of speed without its headlights on. The officer stopped the vehicle at Easton Road and East Avenue in Roslyn.
According to police, the vehicle was operated by 46-year-old Michelle Bradford and her passenger was 42-year-old Henry J. Martin, both of Philadelphia.
Police say in plain view in the vehicle was a pile of new clothing that still had the retail tags on them and a clear plastic container filled with new watches which also had retail tags on them.
According to police, the retail tags were from JCPenney's and the total value of the merchandise was over $18,612.
Other officers responded to the mall and determined the glass doors at exterior and interior of the vestibule had been smashed out. Inside the JCPenney store, police say the rear sliding doors to the jewelry counters had been broken out and merchandise in them had been stolen. Police determined that the watches, other jewelry and clothing that were in the Ford Focus was merchandise that had been stolen from JCPenney's.
Bradford and Martin were taken into custody and charged with burglary, theft, criminal conspiracy and related offenses.
Police say Martin was a JCPenney employee.
Bradford and Martin were arraigned and bail was set at $25,000 cash each.