Man jailed for theft-spree from unlocked vehicles
NORRISTOWN » A Royersford man has been sent to jail on theft-related charges for breaking into unlocked vehicles in Lower Providence, stealing the owners’ bank and credit cards and then making unauthorized purchases of lottery tickets.
James Richard Fisher, 35, of the 200 block of Main Street, Royersford, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to nine to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking and identity theft in connection with incidents that occurred between July and September 2017.
Common Pleas Court Judge Wendy G. Rothstein also ordered Fisher to complete three years’ probation, following parole, meaning Fisher will be under court supervision for about five years.
An investigation began on July 23 when Lower Providence police received a report of a theft from an unlocked vehicle on Bayless Place during which the victim reported her wallet containing cash and her bank debit card was stolen. The investigation determined the bank card was used at a business on West Main Street in Norristown to purchase more than $400 in lottery tickets, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lower Providence Detective Charles T. King.
Township police took another report of a theft from an unlocked vehicle on Bayless Place on Sept. 1 during which the vehicle owner said her wallet and credit cards were stolen. The victim subsequently learned that one of the stolen credit cards was used at the West Main Street store in Norristown to purchase $300 in lottery tickets, according to the criminal complaint.
A Summit Avenue resident reported to Lower Providence police on Sept. 4 that items were stolen from her unlocked vehicle, including jewelry and a bank card. Following the theft, the victim learned that her bank-issued credit card was used at the same Norristown store used by the suspect in the previous thefts to purchase $800 in lottery tickets, according to the criminal complaint.
Detectives obtained video surveillance from a Summit Avenue residence that depicted a man walking on driveways in the neighborhood on Sept. 4 and entering numerous unlocked vehicles. That suspect was similar in shape and size to the person observed in video surveillance footage detectives obtained from the store where the lottery tickets were purchased after all three vehicle break-ins between Jul y and September.
On Sept. 11, police issued a regional bulletin regarding the thefts and included photographs of the suspect who had been using the stolen credit cards. On Sept. 14, an officer with Phoenixville police reported that he recognized the suspect as being Fisher, according to the criminal complaint.