Abington Township Police Department Photo by James Short.
Abington Township Police were called to a local grocery store where a repeat offender, known to police, was reportedly conducting a theft in progress.
On Dec. 3 around 2:10 p.m., the Abington police reported to the ACME Market, located at 323 Old York Road, in the Jenkintown section of Abington Township, for a retail theft in progress. An employee there told police that a man left the store with a full cart of groceries without paying for any items, said the police criminal complaint.
The employee told police, according to their reports, that he had seen the man leave the store near the self-checkout area, passing all points of sale, even after being approached about the items.
James Darnell Welch, 58, of the 6600 block of Hollis Street in Philadelphia, was identified by police in the parking lot of the ACME store. Police said he was found with a cart full of groceries that he did not pay for, per the complaint.
Police said that Welch was identified and confirmed by the reporting ACME employee as the male involved in the theft. The total value of the merchandise was $274.51, said police.
As Welch has four prior convictions for retail theft, he was charged with a felony-level count of retail theft by the taking of merchandise. Welch was arrested and held in county jail, unable to post bail, set as a monetary $77 bail.
Welch will face his charges on Dec. 18 at 12:30 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Juanita A. Price.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
