A former Fairless Hills man is facing multiple felony charges in connection with an early morning jewelry store burglary in Middletown
Police allege the suspect, Christopher Plytas Jr., 46, is also facing criminal charges in Falls and Upper Southampton.
Middletown police responded to areport of a burglary Sept. 27 at Michael’s Jewelry in the 1300 block of East Lincoln Highway on where they found damage to the store and a significant amount of jewelry missing, police said.
The subsequent police investigation developed Plytas as a suspect after reviewing store surveillance video and license plate reader footage in the hours and days before and after the crime, according
to a probable cause affidavit. .
The day of the burglary, police allege, Plytas was wearing a mask and driving a stolen U-Haul van, when he pulled up outside the business shortly before 8 a.m.
He used a hammer to smash the glass front door and enter the store where he broke glass display cases and removed nearly $1,500 in jewelry before fleeing the scene, the affidavit said.
The unoccupied van was recovered the next morning at the Racquet Club apartments in Middletown, the affidavit said.
Police found a gold necklace with the price tag still attached behind the front two seats, the affidavit said. The jewelry store owner confirmed it was among the items stolen.
Later that same day, Playtas allegedly driving a stolen Home Depot pickup truck, led Falls Township Police on a pursuit into Middletown; the pickup was later located in Langhorne unoccupied.
The Middletown investigation also found that Plytas was wanted by Upper Southampton police for a theft from a gas station and other law enforcement agencies, according to the affidavit.
Shortly after Middletown police filed its Oct. 7 arrest warrant for Plytas, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force located him at a self-storage unit near the Philadelphia Mills shopping center and took him into custody.
Plytas was arraigned before District Judge Brian Marriott on three felonies including burglary and criminal trespassing and related misdemeanors and transferred to Bucks County Correctional Center in lieu of $100,000 bail.
He had no legal representation as of Oct. 8, according to the public court docket.
Crime and Courts Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Middletown jewelry store burglary suspect apprehended. Faces other charges
