Man Picked Up By Police After His 4 a.m. Walk With Allegedly Stolen Items, Police Say

In responding to a complaint, Norristown police arrested a man found walking around Norristown around 4 a.m. on Sept. 18, after he was found with a flashlight and a bag of items that did not appear to belong to him, according to police.

Norristown police arrived at the area around Green Street and Freedley Street around 4 a.m., after receiving a complaint about a man looking in cars with a flashlight and checking car door handles in the area, according to a Norristown police report. 

Police found Paul Brown, Jr. on Green Street, a bit south of Freedley Street, holding a flashlight and toting a plastic bag, say police.

Police spoke with Brown, who told them he wanted a ride home and had been walking in the area for four hours, according to the report.  They saw that Brown had a bag that contained telephone chargers, a purse, and sunglasses, which he said that he was just taking around, and which police believed that he did not own, say police.

Police reported that he lied multiple times about why he was in the area, and they suspected that he had stolen property with him, according to the report. Brown was taken into custody and it was later found that he had a small bag of what police suspected to be a suspicious substance, say police. 

According to court documents, Brown is being charged with theft from a motor vehicle, theft by unlawful taking of movable property, receiving stolen property, loitering and prowling at nighttime, and possession of marijuana.

Brown resides in Lansdale, according to court documents, and was arrested by Lansdale police on Sept. 5, after which he was charged with theft from a motor vehicle, and theft by unlawful taking of movable property, amongst other crimes.