Car alarm leads to arrest of man in Chesco crime spree

A car alarm foiled an alleged theft in Chester County and led to multiple charges against a 19-year-old Glenmoore man, police said.

West Whiteland Township Police Sgt. Martin Malloy said officers were dispatched to the 500 block of East Saxony Drive in the Evian development for a report of a car alarm sounding shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday.

Malloy said the 911 caller provided a clothing description of a man observed running from the scene.

Responding officers spotted and detained Cornelius J. McGroarty, who possessed several items taken from cars parked in the neighborhood, Malloy said.

Further investigation revealed McGroarty had also removed a television, laptop, and iPhone from the kitchen of a nearby home while the residents slept, Malloy said.

McGroarty was charged with burglary, theft, and related crimes. After posting $15,000 cash bail, he is awaiting a preliminary hearing Wednesday at the Exton District Court, court records said.
   Kathleen Brady Shea