Conspirator in Whitpain home invasion sent to jail

The second of three men accused of taking part in a home invasion style break-in at a Whitpain residence has admitted to his role in the crime and is headed to prison.

David William Thompson, 19, of the 6600 block of North Gratz Street, Philadelphia, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to three to six years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with the 1:30 a.m. Oct. 27, 2017, break-in at

a residence in the 300 block of Railroad Avenue in the West Ambler section of Whitpain.

Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, said Thompson must forfeit his firearms to the county district attorney’s office and she ordered Thompson to stay away from the victims as conditions of the sentence.

Thompson is the second man to admit to being involved in the home invasion.

Last month, Reuben Veaches Washington, 24, also of the 6600 block of North Gratz Street, was sentenced to 2 ½ to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.

A third man charged in connection with the incident, Justin Erik Andrews, 20, of the 100 block of West Ruscomb Street, Philadelphia, is still awaiting trial on burglary-related charges. Andrews, who remains in jail while awaiting trial, faces a hearing later this month in county court.

An investigation began when Whitpain police responded to the Railroad Avenue home for a report of a burglary in progress.

The investigation determined three men allegedly kicked-in the front door of the home to gain entry but fled when a home security alarm sounded, according to a criminal complaint filed by Whitpain Police Officer Bianca DeLuca. The homeowner reported seeing three men run from the home.

The suspects were stopped in a vehicle at Railroad and Mt. Pleasant avenues, about 50 feet from the victim’s home, according to police.

Images of the three males captured on a surveillance camera outside the victim’s home matched the occupants of the vehicle and the three, identified as Thompson, Washington and Andrews, were taken into custody, court documents indicate.

The occupants of the home told police they initially heard someone banging on their front door but did not recognize the males. The victims reported that one of the males kicked the door and all three entered the home, causing the security alarm to activate.

“At this time, the males ran from the residence and (the victims) called police,” DeLuca wrote in the arrest affidavit. “It shall be noted that the security system was installed by the homeowner after a similar home invasion robbery in 2012.”