Police noted in court papers that DNA evidence has led to a local man being charged with allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of tools from a house being rehabbed in Bristol Township.
John Mathis, 36, of Fairless Hills, was arrested and charged with three theft-related felonies as well as one misdemeanor for criminal mischief. He was arraigned Monday and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $50,000 bail. Mathis was previously arraigned for a separate incident on April 13 and charged with receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and two misdemeanor drug charges
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According to recent court documents, the incident that led the Bristol Township charges filed this week happened back on Friday, February 2. At that time, a resident of Queen Anne Drive in Fairless Hills reported a theft of tools to police.
The victim of the theft reported he had been in the process of renovating the home when the tools were stolen between 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, and 8 a.m. on Friday, February 2. The victim reported that entry had been made into the house by breaking the rear door window and that the entry door to the garage had also been opened. The victim told police that approximately $5,000 worth of tools had been stolen from the house and a flashlight and wheelbarrow had been moved.
The officer responding to the scene swabbed the wheelbarrow handles, among other items, to collect DNA evidence to be submitted. The DNA evidence showed a matched Mathis, police said.
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Mathis was previously arraigned for a separate incident in Bensalem Township on April 13 and charged with receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and two misdemeanor drug charges. He was already serving time prior to his preliminary hearing when he was brought in on new charges. Mathis is no stranger to law enforcement, he was arrested in mid-February for a retail theft incident in Tullytown Borough, an early-January theft incident in Falls Township, a February 2017 burglary related incident in Bristol Township, another February 2017 incident where Mathis was accused of recklessly endangering another person and fleeing officers in Morrisville Borough, and a December 2016 retail theft incident in Falls Township.
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.
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