Burglary at Norristown eatery lands man in jail

NORRISTOWN » A New Jersey man is behind bars after he admitted to burglarizing a Norristown restaurant where he once worked.

Eugene Joseph Trimble, 50, of the 1100 block of Cooper Street, West Deptford, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court recently to 11 ½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of burglary in connection with a January 2019 break-in at Nano’s Chicken in the 200 block of East Main Street in Norristown.

Judge Melissa Schwartz Sterling, who accepted a plea agreement, also ordered Trimble to complete two years’ probation following parole, meaning Trimble will be under court supervision for about four years. Trimble also must pay $3,500 in restitution in connection with the crime.

On Jan. 24, 2019, Norristown police responded to the restaurant for a report of a burglary. The co-owner of the business reported an unknown person entered the store overnight by cutting a hole in a wall in the bathroom, according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown Detective William Klinger.

The burglar went behind a counter and removed cash and packs of cigarettes before fleeing from the business, detectives said.

Investigators obtained video surveillance footage that depicted the suspect in the business and audio captured the suspect talking on a phone, according to the criminal complaint. Upon viewing the video footage, the owner of the building immediately identified the suspect’s voice as being that of Trimble, who was a former employee.

“(The owner) stated that the voice, build and mannerisms (matched) Trimble,” Klinger alleged, adding the owner identified Trimble as a former maintenance worker at the restaurant.

Other charges of criminal trespass and theft by unlawful taking were dismissed against Trimble as part of the plea agreement.