Woman jailed for stealing from L. Merion families
NORRISTOWN » A former Delaware County woman has been sentenced to jail for stealing jewelry and other valuable items from two Lower Merion families that befriended her, crimes reportedly fueled by her drug habit.
Natalie Ann Perrott, 37, formerly of the 1000 block of East Lancaster Avenue, in the Radnor section of Delaware County, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to six to 12 months in the county jail after she pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and forgery in connection with incidents that occurred between May 2015 and January 2016 at two township residences. Judge Garrett D. Page also ordered Perrott to complete five years’ probation following parole, meaning Perrott will be under court supervision for about six years.
“This drove her into these thefts,” Page said, referring to Perrott’s struggles with substance abuse. “There was a betrayal of love and trust. They trusted her and she went in and stole.”
The judge ordered Perrott to pay a total of $31,827 in restitution in connection with the case.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Geiser argued for jail time against Perrott, citing the betrayal of trust and the fact that many of the items, sentimental family heirlooms, can’t be replaced.
“She targeted two families, had a close friendship with these families and was inside their homes and unfortunately had the ability to take personal items including jewelry, heirlooms and silverware,” Geiser said.
“Drugs explained why she did what she did, but it doesn’t excuse it,” Geiser added. “It was multiple victims. This wasn’t a onetime occurrence. This occurred over a number of months and so jail time was appropriate.”
Geiser alleged Perrott, a mother of two who most recently lived in Pittsburgh, pawned the stolen items. Some of those items, including silver, had been melted down, according to testimony.
“So unfortunately, it would appear some of the heirlooms may have been melted down, never to be recovered,” Geiser said.
Defense lawyer Basil D. Beck III argued for a probationary sentence on behalf of Perrott, saying she has taken responsibility for her conduct and is remorseful.
“In light of the fact that she was in the throes of addiction when this happened and now she’s made great strides in her life as far as living a sober lifestyle, I asked the judge to fashion a sentence in the mitigated range,” Beck explained.
“She’s sorry about what happened. She’s sorry about the fact that her addiction drove her to do things that she didn’t want to do. She takes full responsibility for the fact that she was an addict at the time,” said Beck, adding Perrott has sought counseling and treatment for her addiction.
After the sentencing hearing, Beck filed a request that the judge reconsider the punishment and allow Perrott to serve the sentence under house arrest. It’s unclear if the judge will hold a hearing on that request.
One of the victims told detectives he hired Perrott to clean his Forrest Road home and assist his sick wife. The man later reported that jewelry and watches went missing from the home, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lower Merion Detective John Mick.
In January 2016, a second family who lived along Anton Road, reported jewelry and silver missing from their home. At the time of the thefts Perrott had been helping the family with household chores and Perrott had unsupervised access to the entire house, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lower Merion Police Officer Andrew Rook.
Some of the victims were in court for Perrott’s sentencing hearing and they testified they trusted Perrott and felt betrayed. They testified they realized “she was a great con artist and liar.”
To think their possessions were lost for “a mere pittance of cash” broke their hearts, the victims said.