Credit: Falls Township police
Falls Township police are seeking a man who they allege stole wiring worth $30,000 from the Penn Warner Club after a manager spotted a suspicious person on the property.
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According to an arrest warrant, on March 2 at 10:45 a.m., the manager of the members-only Penn Warner Club in the township spotted a man riding a silver bike and towing a child carriage behind it. The carriage was covered with a red cloth and contained a large amount of multi-colored wiring. The man was spotted on the property of the club, which is surrounded by high fencing topped with barbed wire and marked with numerous “no trespassing” signs.
Due to recent thefts on the property, the manager attempted to stop the subject, who she did not recognize, police said.
After asking why the man was on the property, the manager took a picture of the man, and he then fled into the wooded area after jumping off his bicycle, police said.
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When officers arrived on the scene, they searched the wooded area but did not locate the man. However, they did confirm that the wiring found in the child carriage had been removed from a nearby telephone pole, as reported by Verizon Wireless staff working along on New Ford Mill Road, police said.
In the arrest warrant, an officer wrote a machete was found with the wires and it is suspected the man was using it to cut wires from utility poles, strip the insulation, and sell the wires for scrap.
The man was later identified as Lee S. Dionne, 33, of Falls Township’s Levittown section.
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For the alleged theft, Dionne is wanted on charges of receiving stolen property, defiant trespassing, and defiant trespassing in an enclosed area, according to the arrest warrant.
The photograph of Dionne taken by the manager was posted to social media platforms by police and that led to tips that helped identify him. A search of a law enforcement database also aided.
Police are urging anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of Dionne to contact them. Those with information on Dionne’s location has asked to contact the police non-emergency number at 215-328-8501, Officer Ryan Murphy at r.murphy@fallstwppd.com, or anonymously at tiplines@fallstwppd.com.
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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.
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