A 37-year-old Philadelphia man is facing burglary, escape and resisting arrest charges after police say he broke free from his handcuffs and fought with officers after escaping a holding cell. Andrew Fowler was found inside the barn on the 1600 block of Union Grove Road, according to police, after officers responded to a suspicious-person complaint at the property.
East Earl Township police were called to the scene at 11:28 a.m. on October 21, according to a report from crimewatch.net, which cited the East Earl Township Police Department. Officers said Fowler had entered a barn on the property without permission and was found inside it in possession of items from inside the structure.
Handcuffs Broken, Then a Fight With Officers
What happened next turned a suspicious-person complaint into something far more chaotic. Police said that after Fowler was taken into custody, he was cuffed to a bench in a holding cell. He managed to break his handcuffs and escape from the cell, according to the same crimewatch.net report, then fought with officers.
Fowler, who was identified by police as a Philadelphia resident, was ultimately arrested and charged with burglary, escape and resisting arrest, per the department's account. The incident was also reported by WGAL, which confirmed Fowler's age and hometown.
Bail Set at $100,000, Court Date Pending
A magistrate district judge, identified in the police report as MDJ Torrey Landis, arraigned Fowler and set his bail at $100,000, the department said. Unable to post that amount, Fowler was committed to Lancaster County Prison to await further court proceedings, according to the police account. A report from WHP Harrisburg noted that Fowler awaits a scheduled court appearance at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and that CBS 21 said it had requested more information from police and was waiting for a response.
East Earl Township police emphasized in their release that the charges against Fowler are accusations only, and that he is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise in court. Under Pennsylvania law, burglary involves entering a building or occupied structure with the intent to commit a crime inside, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly's criminal statutes, which separately define criminal trespass as knowingly entering or remaining in a structure without permission. The same statute grades unauthorized entry under one circumstance as a third-degree felony, while breaking into a structure under another specified circumstance is graded as a second-degree felony.
