East Greenville man, admitted vehicle thief, sent to prison

The next stop is prison for an East Greenville man who stole another man’s SUV from the parking lot of the Walmart in Upper Hanover and then led police on a high speed chase into Philadelphia.

Louis Snyder, 35, of the 400 block of Jefferson Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 4 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to charges of theft by unlawful taking and driving under the influence of a controlled substance in connection with a June 14, 2022, incident that began in Upper Hanover.

Judge Wendy G. Rothstein imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement. Snyder will be eligible for the state prison system’s drug treatment program during the period of incarceration.

An investigation began about 3:51 p.m. June 14 when State Police at Skippack responded to the Walmart in the 600 block of Gravel Pike in Upper Hanover for a report of a stolen vehicle. The victim told police he parked his 2007 GMC Yukon on the Walmart lot with the keys inside while he shopped at the store and when he exited the store 10 minutes later he found the vehicle missing, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim provided state police with information from an Apple Airpod device that was attached to the keys to the vehicle that allowed police to track the vehicle. Police subsequently determined the vehicle was traveling along I-476 and then I-76 toward Philadelphia.

State police with the Philadelphia barracks eventually spotted the stolen Yukon near the Gladwyne ramp of I-76 in Lower Merion and tried to conduct a traffic stop. The Yukon “failed to yield and traveled at a high rate of speed in excess of 90 mph for over a half mile” eastbound on I-76 past the Belmont Avenue exit and then traveled onto the exit for Route 1 northbound, according to court documents.

A police officer attempted to position his vehicle next to the Yukon on the driver’s side and the Yukon impacted the passenger side of the marked patrol car “attempting to avoid stopping and continuing to flee,” police alleged. The vehicle continued northbound on Route 1 when police initiated a “pit maneuver” and stopped the stolen vehicle in an area south of Fox Street.

“During the pursuit, Snyder drove across multiple lane markers, failed to drive within a single lane, failed to utilize any turn signals, drove the vehicle too closely to other vehicles, drove on the shoulder and generally operated the vehicle in a reckless manner with no due regard for any persons on the highway,” police wrote in the arrest affidavit.

Snyder later told police that he stole six cases of an energy drink from the Walmart and planned on taking them to Philadelphia to sell.

“He further related he is a drug user and has recently used crack cocaine and heroin/fentanyl. He admitted to stealing the vehicle because the windows were down and keys in the ignition. Snyder related he had planned on taking the vehicle to Philadelphia to obtain more controlled substances,” police alleged in the arrest affidavit.

Police said Snyder exhibited signs of drug use, including eyelid tremors and white residue in his nostrils and alleged Snyder was not capable of safely operating a motor vehicle.

Other charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police and retail theft were dismissed against Snyder as part of the plea agreement.