Bowlby Lawn employee discovered wanted Philadelphia man sleeping in the business garage
A 30-year-old Philadelphia man who was on the run from a bench warrant issued out of Delaware County was found sleeping in a vehicle at a local Somerset County business.
An employee who works for Bowlby Lawn Service and lives in an apartment on the business's property along Glades Pike in Somerset Township went into the garage below his residence Thursday morning to switch out all the insurance cards in the company vehicles, according to Trooper Michael Burkholder in a probable-cause affidavit.
He told Burkholder that when he walked around one of the vehicles, he noticed the car cover was pulled off and he saw a pair of shoes laying on the ground on the passenger side of the vehicle. Looking inside the car he noted that a man — Warren Keith Pleasant — was sleeping in the driver's seat. He called the state police.
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According to the affidavit, Pleasant woke up when the employee called state police and "stated that he is on the run because he has a warrant for murder."
A search of court dockets and published articles showed Pleasant was on probation for robbery and terroristic threats for an incident that occurred Sept. 21, 2020 in Delaware County. He was incarcerated on a $20,000 bond.
On April 27, 2021, after a plea arrangement, he pleaded guilty to both charges. He was sentenced to time served to a 23-month maximum jail term for robbery, a second-degree felony, and three years probation for terroristic threats, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was ordered to pay restitution of $1,000 to Chase Bank in Upper Darby.
A bench warrant was issued when he did not show up for a court proceeding, according to court documents.
Rose told police that Pleasant said he entered the garage through an unlocked side door and had been staying there for 36 hours to get out of the cold, according to the affidavit.
"Pleasant was unsure of why he was in the area and advised (state police) that he was 'on the run' for a burglary warrant," Burkholder wrote.
Pleasant was arraigned before District Judge Ken Johnson of Somerset on a charge of criminal trespass, a third-degree felony, and placed in the Somerset County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 secured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 before Johnson.
Follow Reporter Judy D.J. Ellich on Twitter at @dajudye.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Robbery suspect found sleeping in Somerset County business garage
