Crime Items of Interest:

• On 06/14/2023, at 3:00 pm, an Upper Darby man was arrested on a traffic stop on Easton Road after attempting to flee from the investigating officer on foot and get back into his vehicle.  The man was wanted for felony retail theft in Montgomery County.  He was charged with flight to avoid apprehension by us and related charges.

• On 6/14/2023, at approximately 8:30PM, Bedminster Twp PD received a report from a resident of Bedminster Hunt West that her 9-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old female friend were offered candy by two adult males, in the area of the playground behind 241 Kulp Drive. The girls told the males, “no”, and then ran home to tell their parents. The males walked away laughing. The first male was described as 19-20 years old, with brown curly hair, wearing pink and blue shorts, and a white tank top. The second male had brown hair, described as a teenager, was wearing a black graphic t-shirt, and black shorts. They were both last seen walking on Bucks Road toward Bedminster Road carrying fishing rods.  

• On 06/14/2023, Bedminster Township Police responded to the Weis Markets located at 431 N Dublin Pike (Route 313) for a Retail Theft that occurred on June 5th, 2023.  A Weis loss prevention officer reported that a female concealed numerous items and then passed all points of sale without rendering payment.   A Bedminster resident has been identified and charged. 

• On 6/15/2023, at approximately 1:15PM, a second report was received that one of the same males from the playground incident verbally harassed the same 9-year-old girl in a similar manner in the same area. On this date, he was reported to have been wearing a yellow shirt and riding a blue-green bicycle, last seen crossing the creek bridge in the Bedminster Hunt West development on the walking trail between Overholt Drive and Saddlery Drive

• BEDMINSTER COUPLE CHARGED TAKING NEARLY $118K FROM CUSTOMERS OF CUSTOM FURNITURE BUSINESS (arrest on 6/23/23)

A Bedminster Township couple who operated a custom furniture business were charged recently with ripping off 40 customers of nearly $118,000.

Austin D. Smallacombe, 36, and Amanda Smallacombe, 35, of Katie Lane, were arraigned on June 22 by Magisterial District Judge Stacy Wertman with felony counts of  theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, deceptive business practices, false statement to induce agreement for home improvement practices, receiving advance payment for services and failing to perform, criminal use of a communication facility and criminal conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking.

They were both committed to Bucks County Correctional Facility, Austin Smallacombe on $900,000 bail, 10 percent, and Amanda Smallacombe on $500,000 bail, 10 percent. Her bail was reduced on Tuesday.

They both have preliminary hearings scheduled for July 10 before Magisterial District Judge Gary Gambardella.

This investigation was conducted by the Bucks County Detectives, Newtown Township Police Department, Bedminster Township Police Department and Hilltown Township Police Department.

The investigation found that the Smallacombes owned and operated A&A Custom Furniture, from 300 block of Katie Lane, Perkasie, which is also their home address.

Hilltown Township police received a report on July 1, 2022, from a resident who said he paid the Smallacombes $4,300 for custom dining furniture. The victim paid for the furniture on Jan. 1, 2022, and was told it would take 10-12 weeks to completed and delivered, but he never received anything.

The victim said Austin Smallacombe gave him several excuses, such as weather-related or medical-related delays, for not getting his furniture. He later told the victim he would give him a refund, which he never did. 

Since June 14, 2022, Bedminster Township police, Hilltown Township police, and Newtown Township police spoke to more than 40 additional victims of the Smallacombes and A&A Custom Furniture. The victims, from Bucks, Berks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties, lost a total of $117,880.40.

The victims said they contacted the Smallacombes through Facebook or other social media networks and ordered custom furniture to be built.  The victims paid large financial deposits for the manufacturing of furniture using online payment methods. In most cases, the victims didn’t receive the furniture they ordered, and, in some cases, they received poor quality furniture with numerous defects.

The investigation found that the Smallacombes used the money on personal expenses.

This case was investigated by Bucks County Detective Timothy Johnson, Bedminster Township Officer Stephen Pekach, Hilltown Township Detective Louis Bell, and Newtown Township Detective Nick Moffett.

This case is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber, Chief of Insurance Fraud and Economic Crimes. 

• On 06/28/2023, an 81-year-old resident was reported missing by his family and no longer answering their calls or texts.  We were able to reach the resident and learned that he was in the process of being scammed by a telephone scammer who had already convinced him to turn over the information from a $500 Apple gift card.  We were able to convince him to stop listening to the caller and come to the PD prior to turning over several thousand more dollars in gift cards that the scammer requested.  

• We conducted 4 search warrants related to ongoing investigations.

• Traffic Items of Interest:

• We handled (3) reportable (towing and/or injury) traffic accidents. There were no critical injuries reported.

o On 06/09/2023, at 07:08 am, 2 vehicles crashed at the intersection of 113 and the southern entrance to the Weis.

o On 06/16/2023, at 3:35 pm, 2 vehicles crashed at the intersection of Durham Road and Old Easton Rd.

o On 06/17/2023, at 4:44 pm, 1 vehicle crashed on Irish Meetinghouse Road.  The driver was arrested for DUI. 

• A 38-year-old male from Easton was arrested for DUI on Ridge Rd. following a traffic stop for speeding on 06/02/2023 at 7:44 pm during a click it or ticket detail.

• A 19-year-old East Greenville man was arrested on 313 for attempting to elude police, reckless driving and related charges on 06/24/23 at 2248 hours.

• Traffic Enforcement:  

o 109 traffic enforcement details were conducted.  

o 21 traffic citations were issued.

o 72 traffic warnings were given.