Doylestown Police Arrest Alleged Burglar

Doylestown Borough Police on Thursday arrested a man on suspicion of burglary, saying they tracked him down with a police dog after he tried to break into a borough medical office.

John Newman, 24, of Whitehall Drive, Doylestown Township, was arrested Thursday at about 1:20 a.m., police said.

Newman faces charges including burglary and criminal trespass. He was arraigned Thursday in District Judge Mark Douple’s court and was committed to the Bucks County Prison on $150,000 bond, according to prison records.

Police said Newman tried to use a screwdriver to pry open windows at an orthodontist’s office on South Clinton. When that didn’t work, police allege Newman picked up a large rock and smashed it through a side window, shattering it.

“That set off a burglar alarm, which prevented him from carrying out his mission,” Doylestown Police Lt. Pat Penecale said Thursday afternoon, adding that police believe nothing was taken from the office.

With the alarm sounding, Newman took off on foot, police said.

Officers called in a K-9 unit from Upper Moreland – Doylestown had as many as three police dogs at one point, Penecale said, but they were not replaced over the years.

With the dog’s help, police say they tracked Newman down on the other side of the Doylestown train station, heading out of town on foot.

Doylestown has been plagued by to stores, businesses and professional offices in recent weeks.

Police are pulling together the physical evidence from those cases, including tool marks left at previous scenes, and consider Newman a suspect in them as the investigation moves forward, Penecale said.

According to court records, Newman has a court history that stretches back to at least 2007. He has been charged with everything from burglary to forgery to criminal trespass to identity theft and more.

In January 2008, he was sentenced to 3 to 23 months in prison for burglary.

Other burglaries or attempted burglaries also reported this week in Doylestown include:

Burglary

Someone entered a medical office on the 200 block of North Street sometime between 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19 and 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 20.

Approximately $100, a briefcase, and a checkbook were removed from the premises.

Entry was made through an unsecured window.

Attempted Burglary

Someone attempted to gain entry to a medical office on the 300 block of Spruce Street sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19 and 8:50 a.m. on Thursday, October 20.

A screen had been removed from a side window, and pry marks were observed on the bottom section of window. No entry was made into the building.

Burglary

Someone entered a medical office on the 200 block of N. Main Street on Sunday, October 23 at approximately 10:00 p.m.

Approximately $60 and business checks were removed from the premises. 

Entry into the building was made through an unsecured door of a vacant office adjacent to the medical office. A door between the two offices was then damaged to gain access to the medical office.