Residents can breathe a bit easier as Bensalem Police have apprehended a suspect in a string of audacious break-ins across multiple counties. On December 2nd, the tranquility of the early morning at Bob Nolan’s Auto Service was shattered when a dark Chevy Silverado pickup truck deliberately rammed the front glass door, paving the way for a brazen burglary. According to the Bensalem Police Department's social media post, the suspect snatched the cash register after making his way through the shattered entrance.
Investigative efforts connected the dots between this incident and similar crimes throughout Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester Counties, with a singular vehicular M.O. Surprisingly, the suspect, identified as 56-year-old Richard Sturts, was not at large due to his skillful elusion, but rather because there existed two outstanding arrest warrants for him, as detailed by Bensalem Police. One warrant came from the Warrington Township Police for Fleeing and Eluding, while the other hail from the Bucks County Probation and Parole Department.
Advanced tech played a pivotal role in tracking down the suspect. Bensalem Detectives entered the Silverado's license plate into an Automated License Plate Reader system, a move that alerted them on Thursday, when the vehicle roamed through Bensalem. Unoccupied, the Chevy Silverado was found near the Cornwells Train Station Park and Ride, a stone's throw from where Sturts was ultimately detained.
At police headquarters, Sturts found himself in an interrogation where he would concede his role as the pickup driver in the burglaries, as per the police's account. He's facing charges including Burglary, Criminal Trespass, and related offenses in Bensalem, with bail set and his current accommodation being the Bucks County Prison. More charges are expected as other counties process their own cases against Sturts. Acknowledgment was given by Bensalem Police to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department for their help, illustrating the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration.
