A Philadelphia man has been accused of breaking in to an area home improvement warehouse store.
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On Saturday, November 11, Middletown Township police were dispatched to the Lowe’s Home Improvement on East Lincoln Highway in Middletown Township for a report of an alarm activation in the seasonal section, according to court papers.
The officer who pulled up to the scene first noticed a fence next to the garden center gate was cut, police said.
The store’s loss prevention manager responded to the scene and also noticed the damaged fence, police said.
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While officers were at the store, the alarm company reported an active alarm in the tool area in the store.
Officers and a K-9 unit went into the store as part of the investigation, discovering a suspect was in the store, police said.
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The K-9 team noticed a missing panel on a door inside the store.
With multiple officers in the Lowe’s Home Improvement, a search of the retail building was undertaken and a man was located hiding behind an insulation display, police said.
The man located in the store was identified was Clarence Matthew Murray, 25, of Philadelphia, police said.
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A search of Murray led to officers reportedly finding a knife, a leatherman-style tool, and three blue wax packets with suspected drugs.
In court papers, police said video showed Murray taking a rolling Kobalt toolbox and a Dewalt tool bag with multiple tools. The value of the items was $3,500.
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Murray was charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, attempted theft, possession of a weapon, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. He was preliminarily arraigned by on-call District Judge Maggie Snow and held on 10 percent of $50,000.
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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