“She is a monster, I don’t know her anymore.”
Through a thick Spanish accent, the words leapt off of the suspect’s mother’s mouth, reverberating in the staid courtroom.
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“I love my daughter … but she is a monster now and I don’t know her,” she said, as defendant Michelle Miller stared straight ahead, unmoving, during her mother’s testimony Wednesday morning at a preliminary hearing in Bristol Borough District Court.
Miller, charged with burglary, criminal trespass and theft allegedly entered her family’s home on July 10 while her mother was on vacation and remodeling work was being performed by a local contractor, according to the mother’s testimony and court records.
Miller, 21 of Bristol was found by police rifling through drawers in her parent’s bedroom, according to the probable cause affidavit, which also says a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order was on record against the defendant’s because ” she attacked me” as of May 1 2013, her mother said.
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Bristol Borough patrolman Elifa Soto testified he was well aware of the situation between the family and Miller and explained to her that she was not allowed in the house nor had permission from her parents to be in the home on Circle Drive.
Soto testified under cross-examination that he was called three days later and told three pieces of jewelry – a silver bracelet, gold necklace and gold earrings – were missing after the defendant was taken into custody.
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Public defender Josh Buchanan attempted to establish that the jewelry found could have been taken at anytime also citing when Miller was taken into custody and brought to Bucks County Prison. The alleged stolen items were not found on his client – asking Soto if the items were logged by corrections staff.
Soto testified that he wasn’t aware of jail rules so he couldn’t say if the items were located or not at the jail.
District Court Judge Frank W. Perenteau Sr. felt the commonwealth met its burden and waived the charges on to the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas setting Miller’s next court date for October 25.
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Miller is now in jail in lieu of 10 percent of $ 30,000.
In a related matter, Miller had a hearing for a second yet separate case, Miller was accused of stealing $10.00 from her mothers purse in April and to be in possession, according to court records of a controlled substance allegedly Xanax. The possession charge was withdrawn by the Bucks DA Office but charges of theft and receiving stolen property were waived on to Doylestown. Bail in that case is 10 percent of $10,000 with hearing scheduled for October 25.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
