Suspect discovered riding skateboard in store

            A Souderton man is accused of conducting a string of burglaries in multiple counties during a recent three-day stretch. Quentin William Thompson, 20, faces four criminal counts in three separate municipalities after burglaries earlier this month.

            According to records filed in two local courts, Thompson faces multiple felony charges in two Berks County townships and Douglass Township in Montgomery County. He was arrested on Jan. 8 and is currently being held at the Berks County jail, according to information posted on a state judicial website.

            Law enforcement officials allege that Thompson broke into a church in Douglass Township, stole two envelopes filled with cash and damaged several desks on Jan. 6. He is also accused by the state police of stealing two cash registers from a restaurant in Washington Township on the same day.

            Thompson was charged separately by the Eastern Berks Police Department for breaking into a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Walmart in Colebrookdale Township on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, respectively.

            A Jan. 6 burglary at Bel Air Ice Cream Burgers and More, located at 913 Route 100, was reported on Jan. 10. One of the owners reported to the state police that the basement door had been pried open, according to the police criminal complaint filed on Jan. 13 in the Boyertown court of District Judge Michael Hartman.

            Video surveillance recorded a hammer-wielding man wearing a ski mask, an Alpinestars long sleeve tee shirt, and black pants in the restaurant at 9:03 p.m. on Jan. 6. Thompson is accused of ransacking the business using the hammer, which was left broken at the scene, to pry open the cash register. A search of a white U-Haul Chevrolet Silverado allegedly turned up the two cash register drawers, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

            Local authorities in Douglass Township responded at 8:16 a.m. on Jan. 7 to Trinity Church, located at 250 Swinehart Road, for the report of an overnight burglary. Authorities determined that the suspect, described as heavyset and wearing ATV/dirtbike riding apparel and a black ski mask, had entered through a basement door by breaking glass, broke open a cash box containing an estimated $190 in tuition preschool payments, and damaged several desks, according to the Jan. 8 police criminal complaint filed in the Douglass Township court of District Judge Maurice Saylor.

            Between 9 and 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, the suspect attempted to break into the Kingdom Hall. A person familiar with the video footage of the incident told local police that the man attempted to pry open a back door. The suspect then smashed a side window with a hammer.  Repairs to the window will cost  $3,000. Thompson is also accused of moving one camera and breaking another with the hammer, according to separate paperwork filed by Eastern Berks Police.

            Two days later, at 6:29 a.m., a local officer was dispatched to Walmart, located at 567 North Route 100, for a burglary in progress. He encountered Thompson pulling a pallet jack and stating that he was there to buy some televisions, and no one would help him load them. The suspect said he had $40,000 in a black bag he was carrying, according to court records.

            Surveillance footage shows Thompson opening Walmart's sliding doors with his hands at 5:45 a.m., 15 minutes before the store opened. The man told an employee that he has been tormenting the police all night.

            Thompson stayed in the store and bought a skateboard and a stuffed animal, which he paid for with the money in the bag. He came back into the store and began riding the skateboard. After being told by another employee that he was not allowed to do that, Thompson allegedly threatened him with the skateboard and yelled profanities at him, according to the legal document.

            Douglass Township police, arriving at the scene, noted that Thompson was wearing the same outfit as the suspect in the burglary being investigated. Thompson's truck and trailer also matched the vehicles identified in the earlier incident, according to the legal document.

            Thompson has been arraigned separately on all three Berks County cases, which all include at least one felony count for burglary and related misdemeanors. Bail in all three cases has been set at $50,000 monetary.

            A preliminary hearing for all three is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 9. Gregory P. Dipippo, a King of Prussia attorney, is representing Thompson, according to information posted on a state judicial website.

            A preliminary arraignment in the Douglass Township case, before Saylor, is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 3. A preliminary hearing is slated for 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.