Over $50,000 Worth of Locks and Door Hardware Stolen from Upper Providence Business

According to an affidavit of probable cause, a former employee of the Oaks’ location of Akron Hardware, located at 700 Shell Lane in Upper Providence Township, has been accused of stealing over $50,000 worth of locks, lock sets and door hardware from the warehouse.  

According to court documents, the former employee, Patrick Thomas, 27, of Royersford, was charged with 16 counts of felony charges, including burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

The affidavit states that the owner of Akron Hardware told Upper Providence Township Police about the theft on Dec. 3, 2012. The owner said that on Nov. 30, 2012, an alarm had gone off at the warehouse. The owner further told police that Thomas had called his father, who works at the warehouse, that he had set the alarm off, later admitting in person that he had been going into the warehouse and stealing items from the business.

Sgt. William Dixon of the Upper Providence Police Department spoke with Thomas’ father on Dec. 10, 2012. The father told Dixon that his son was a former employee of Arkon Hardware, but was let go in October. The father provided police with a list of items Thomas had reportedly stolen. According to the affidavit, the list was hand-written by Thomas and given to his father.

Dixon then interviewed Thomas at the police station on Dec. 27, 2012. According to the affidavit, Thomas admitted that he had taken the key and alarm pass code to the warehouse from his father on approximately four occasions in order to steal items from the business. According to the affidavit, the occasions took place between October through November of 2012.

Thomas further admitted to selling some of the items online, but most of them he had sold to a locksmith business in Virginia. The affidavit states that Thomas had received $10,000 from the locksmith.

According to the Arkon Hardware website, Arkon Hardware is a nationwide architectural door hardware distributor. Including its Oaks location, Arkon Hardware has four locations nationwide.