The green Porsche parked in the Bristol Gardens parking lot stuck out like a sore thumb to a Pennsylvania State Trooper. It just didn’t sit well and the trooper decided to run the plates through the system.
Nothing there. The trooper contacted the Porsche Boxster’s owner and that’s when his instincts were confirmed.
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The owner of the 2003 green Porsche Boxster told police the last he knew the sports car was on the lot in Bala Cynwyd in Montgomery County where it was being groomed to be sold, court records say. The owner told police he had no idea why his car would be in Bristol Township.
State police set up a surveillance operation on October 2 to at the apartment complex off of Veterans Highway, only having to wait for approximately one -hour before a silver Ford Windstar minivan arrived at the complex, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
One man got of the Windstar and headed towards the Porsche, opened the door and got in, police say, while the state trooper angled his cruiser to block the exiting of the driver and then identified himself and drew his weapon.
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The Porsche sped by the trooper, grazing but not injuring him, as a second state trooper started to pursue the driver – later identified as Robert Clark, 35, of Philadelphia. The trooper observed a man get into the minivan. The van drove onto Veterans Highway (Route 413) then attempt to make a “sharp” right hand turn onto Bath Rd crashing the van then racing off eluding the officials, court records say.
During the time state police and Bristol Township searched for the elusive van operator, authorities received a call from Philadelphia police asking if thy were looking for a green Porsche because they were in possession of information of where the defendant was holed up, court documents say.
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State troopers were told Clark was at the Wal-Mart in Bristol and was later located walking along Bristol Pike close to the area where police found the Porsche parked by Croydon Station Apartments.
Clark told officers in an October 8 interrogation that wasn’t attempting to run the trooper over, but was terrified when the Trooper drew his weapon at the Bristol apartment complex, court records say. Clark conceded to police that he was the man driving the mini van to Bristol Gardens subsequently eluding police, then getting away in the Porsche and parking it at Croydon Station complex, police say.
Clark was charged with aggravated and simple assault, receiving stolen property, fleeing and eluding authorities, reckless endangerment and related offenses. He was arraigned and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Bristol Borough District Court on October 30.
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As of publication, the man driving the minivan has yet to be apprehended.
