Joshua James Williams, 28, of Zachary Drive in West Manheim Township was recently arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft, theft from a motor vehicle, and loitering and prowling at night, West Manheim Township police reported. He was also charged for tampering with evidence, and being in possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A resident, who called 911 early Thursday, Sept. 29 to report a suspicious car in the 200 block of Joshua Drive, according to police, helped lead to his arrest. An officer patrolling the area immediately responded to the call.
The officer allegedly witnessed Williams rummaging through a vehicle parked in a 100 block of Joshua Drive driveway. Williams then fled on foot into a wooded area, according to the police report. West Manheim Township and Penn Township police officers searched the area, however, Williams eluded capture.
Police discovered the reported suspicious vehicle was owned by Williams’ girlfriend and his photo ID was found in the vehicle, police said. A few hours later, West Manheim officers arrested Williams at his Zachary Drive residence, which is where they found the reported stolen property. Police said they recovered DVDs, several computers, other electronics, marijuana and paraphernalia. Williams removed the DVD’s from their Redbox cases, and disposed of the cases at various locations. Officers were able to locate a few hundred of the cases in a dumpster on Frederick St. in Hanover.
The stolen items were taken by Williams in the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 23. The items were valued at $10,000.
Williams was arraigned at central booking where his bail was set at $30,000.
