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Cops often say when it comes to the public being proactive with protecting their communities, “observe and report .”
Early Sunday morning an observant citizen did just that, leading Bristol Borough police to charge three men with burglary, criminal trespassing, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.
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The alleged burglary took place at the Garden Indoors Store on Howell Street.
The three men – Charles Flack, 36, of Bristol Township, Max Lawrence, 25, of Langhorne, Matthew Lawrence, 34, of Middletown – were arraigned Sunday afternoon before District Judge Charles W. Baum. They are accused of stealing cash and a number of items from the garden supply business.
According to the probable cause affidavit, police responded to a report of two suspicious individuals coming out of a black pickup truck at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Howell Street. As officers were responding to the suspicious person report, a second call came in only minutes after the initial report saying an alarm at the Garden Indoors store, which is located on the other side of the the railroad tracks from Howell Street at 208 Bristol Pike, police wrote in court papers.
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Police arrived on scene and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the pickup truck that was leaving Howell Street. The driver of the vehicle attempted to flee by continuing to drive and ignoring police commands to stop. The truck, with three men in it, came to a halt as another police car was in its path on the 600 block of Bath Road, police say in court documents.
After a number of commands by police and the arrival of state and Bristol Township police, the pickup truck driver shut off the truck and the three men were taken into custody, police wrote in court papers.
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According to the probable cause, authorities conducted a search of the vehicle. Inside they discovered various items allegedly taken by the three suspects from the Garden Indoors store. Police also found drug paraphernalia on two of the suspects, according to court documents.
Investigators went back to the Garden Indoors Store finding signs of forced entry and a missing cash box, police said.
A police official said the call that tipped them off was partly responsible for the arrests of the three suspects.
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Matthew Lawrence and Flack were also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.
Matthew Lawrence and Max Lawrence were both sent to Bucks County prison. Max Lawrence’s bail is 10 percent of $50,000 and Matthew Lawrence’s is 10 percent of $50,000.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
