Warrant issued for man in Upper Gwynedd burglary case

Mubarik Abdus Salaam, 19, of North Wales, faces trial after allegedly burglarizing township snack trailer

NORRISTOWN >> An arrest warrant has been issued for a 19-year-old North Wales man accused of breaking into a snack truck in the Upper Gwynedd Township Complex — just a cou- ple hundred yards from police headquarters — over the summer after he failed to appear at county court for his formal arraignment on five felony and misdemeanor criminal counts, according to court records.

Mubarik Abdus Salaam, of the 600 block of East Montgomery Avenue — who was free on $10,000 unsecured bail — had been due in Montgomery County court the morning of Oct. 14. Complete bail forfeiture occurred the next day, and a bench warrant authorizing law enforcement to take him into custody was issued on Oct. 19, records indicate.

In August, Salaam appeared at Whitpain District Judge Robert Sobeck’s court and waived his preliminary hearing in the case, sending felony counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, as well as misdemeanor counts of theft, receiving stolen property and disorderly conduct, to county court for trial. As part of a waiver agreement, prosecutors withdrew one count each of felony escape and misdemeanor resisting arrest in connection with the alleged Aug. 5 incident.

Upper Gwynedd police said that shortly before 2 that morning, an officer was on patrol in Parkside Place when he spotted three people walking onto the grounds of the township complex, which closes at dusk. He followed them toward the vicinity of the tennis courts.

There, according to police, two of the three individuals, both males, were observed breaking into a snack trailer by prying a rear door, and were in the process of removing food and drinks when the officer approached, identified himself and told them that they were under arrest.

However, the trio f led into a thick wooded area, with the police officer giving chase while calling in a Montgomery Township po- lice K-9 unit for assistance, police said.

The police dog soon found Salaam hiding in the woods, and he was taken into custody and taken to the Upper Gwynedd police station, where he allegedly provided a statement admitting that he stole the food and drinks — valued at approximately $50 — from the trailer, according to police.

Police have not said whether they have identified Salaam’s alleged accomplices.