The man Middletown Township police say they watched try to break into a Levittown home will face trial.
James Houston, 33, of Levittown, had charges of attempted burglary and seven other related offenses forwarded to Doylestown for trial this week after a preliminary hearing. Houston remains in county jail unable to post 10 percent of $100,000 bail.
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According to police, a neighbor called them earlier this month to report a man ride a bicycle to a home in the 100 block of Forsythia Drive. Within minutes, a detective arrived and began watching Houston try to pry his way into the home, according to court papers.
Houston was spooked by the sound of a siren from an approaching police cruiser. The 33-year-old grabbed his bicycle and fled, police said.
Police on foot caught up with Houston and took him into custody.
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When questioned by a detective, Houston claimed to only have been looking in the windows of the Forsythia Drive home, court papers say.
The 33-year-old later admitted to attempting to burglarize house – his first, he said, since his release from prison – after he ran out of cash.
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A pair of pliers and scissors, with the tip bent, were found with the Houston. Police said they suspect the items may have been used to gain entry to the home by prying the sliding glass door and bedroom window.
Houston admitted to stealing a check from his girlfriend’s dad and writing it out to himself, police said. They added that a pawn receipt for equipment owned by his girlfriend’s father, who he worked for, was also found.
Houston will face formal arraignment in Doylestown later this month.
