NORRISTOWN, PA — A Philadelphia man is on his way to prison for being the getaway driver for his conspirators during a “smash and grab” burglary at a Collegeville jewelry store that netted them more than $380,000 in merchandise.
“This was a smash-and-grab jewelry heist. That’s exactly what it was, breaking and smashing and taking all the jewelry they could get. Make no mistake, this is a very serious crime,” Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill said as he sentenced Lawrence L. Harper III to 2 to 5 years in a state correctional facility in connection with the 4:34 a.m. Feb. 9, 2024, break-in at Sabre’s Fine Jewelry store in the 400 block of East Main Street in Collegeville.
O’Neill said Harper and his three alleged conspirators saw the small business in a small town as “a big score.” “This was a community that was violated as well,” said O’Neill, referring to the impact that such crimes have on the small business community.
The owner of the store told the judge she worked hard her entire life to run the family business and feels the impact of the burglary each and every day. “In less than five minutes, my world was shattered. My store was destroyed, product was taken,” the woman told the judge.
“I heard the emotional pain,” O’Neill responded to the owner’s statements. Testimony revealed the “smash and grab” burglary resulted in the loss of $384,041 in merchandise and $6,945 in damage to the store for a total loss of $390,986.
The judge said Harper will be responsible for sharing in the payment of the total restitution with his alleged co-conspirators, two of whom have previously pleaded guilty and one who is still awaiting trial on burglary-related charges.
“They really went on a spree of just destroying every display case and taking everything out in trash bags. When the victims came back to their business, they found it in disrepair and absolutely destroyed and really their life destroyed in just a few minutes. Every smashed object, every object taken, made up (the victim’s) life. That trauma really does live with them every day. It was a very significant crime and a huge impact on the victim and the community,” said Assistant District Attorney Christian Garfield Taffe, who argued for prison time against Harper.
“There should be a strong sentence to show that you cannot do something like this to a local business,” Taffe added. While Harper was the getaway driver, he was an accomplice to the three others who allegedly entered the store and stole the goods, prosecutors and the judge indicated.
“He played a vital role in making this happen,” Taffe said. “That’s what the law reflects, that when you are an integral part and you’re helping a crime be committed, you’re an accomplice to it and you face the same liability that they do.”
“Every piece is instrumental. It’s not spur of the moment, it’s planned,” O’Neill said. Harper, 36, of the 4200 block of Orchard Street, Philadelphia, showed no emotion during the sentencing hearing but attempted to offer an apology for his role in the crime.
“I wasn’t thinking right. I had a lot going on in my head. It wasn’t right. I just want to say I’m sorry,” Harper said. Defense lawyer George Griffith Jr. argued Harper’s poor decisions were fueled by a drug addiction.
“Drug addiction, that is why Mr. Harper is here,” said Griffith, maintaining that the 15 months Harper has spent in jail while awaiting court action probably saved his life, adding, “that’s a sad statement.”
Griffith asked the judge to give Harper credit for the time he already served in jail and allow him to begin working “to get back on his feet” so he can begin paying his share of the restitution.
Two other men, Dartanuall Lomar Cox, 34, of the 5400 block of Market Street, Philadelphia, and Donte Stanley Solomon, 33, of the 7700 block of Chelwynde Avenue, Philadelphia, each previously pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and theft by unlawful taking and are awaiting sentencing hearings.
A fourth man linked to the crime, Lawrence Jainlett Dass, 27, also of Philadelphia, is awaiting trial on burglary-related charges. The investigation began at 4:34 a.m. when Collegeville police responded to a commercial burglar alarm at the jewelry store, according to a criminal complaint filed by Collegeville Police Officer Andrew Sohl and county Detective Sean Franchini.
Video surveillance depicted three males entering the store after shattering a window. One of the males used a hammer tool to break display cases and the other two men removed the jewelry and placed it into trash bags, according to court papers.
Officers from Lower and Upper Providence townships assisted. A short time later, a Lower Providence officer observed a Nissan Maxima with multiple subjects inside and stopped in the middle of the roadway where cars cannot park, at Park Avenue and Chestnut Street, just a short distance from the store.
As police attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the Nissan fled and officers could see the occupants “tossing jewelry from the Nissan Maxima as it was driving away,” according to the arrest affidavit.
A police-involved pursuit was initiated and traveled through Collegeville, Lower Providence and West Norriton. The suspects eventually turned off the vehicle’s headlights and the pursuit was terminated in West Norriton.
Detectives subsequently traced the Nissan to Harper. Within hours of the burglary, Harper allegedly falsely reported his vehicle stolen to Philadelphia police, court papers indicate. On Feb. 13, Harper called Philadelphia police to report he had located his vehicle on North 12th Street in Philadelphia and claimed he knew nothing about the burglary.
However, detectives reviewed cellphone data that showed Harper’s phone was in the area of the Collegeville store at the time of the burglary and in Lower Providence and West Norriton at the time the suspects were trying to hide and to evade police, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities analyzed other cellphone data and posts that some of the suspects made on social media sites discussing the sale of the stolen items to eventually link Cox, Solomon and Dass to the burglary, according to court documents.
Detectives determined that some of the jewelry was sold to a Philadelphia pawn shop. Taffe praised the county detectives and Collegeville police who conducted the intricate, time-consuming investigation.
“Nothing gets done without great police work and in this case we had great detectives who were able to find things that really helped us to tie in all the information and that’s ultimately what led to such a favorable outcome for us in making sure we were able to hold the actors accountable,” Taffe said.
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