Ex-cop charged with stealing M-16 rifle from his old patrol car

A former Lower Providence police officer has been charged with stealing an M-16 rifle and ammunition from his old patrol car, officials said Thursday.

Charles Murray, 37, of Eagleville, was taken into custody Wednesday morning at a church after a priest coaxed him out of a closed Jeep Patriot that had a ventilation hose running into it in what officials said was an apparent attempt at suicide.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced the arrest at a news conference Thursday. Murray was a 10-year member  of the Lower Providence Police Department and served as a Marine.

"Thankfully, we're here to talk about this today" with no one hurt or killed, Steele said. "Thankfully, the gun was recovered."

Shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, Lower Providence police found that someone had broken into a patrol car while it was parked in the station parking lot. The rear windshield was smashed and the M-16 rifle and ammunition were missing from the car, which had been Murray's when he was employed by the department, according to court documents.

Officials said Murray was fired in June for unspecified procedural violations and knew the code to unlock the weapon in his former car.

A detective called Murray in to talk about "an important matter," according to the documents, but Murray refused to drive to the station, instead fleeing his apartment in his black 2016 Jeep.

Authorities searched for Murray and police had a couple of "close calls" with him but never came close enough to make an arrest, Steele said. For 16 hours, no one could reach him, according to the documents.

That changed about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, when West Norriton and Lower Providence police and Montgomery County detectives responded to St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in West Norriton after a priest saw Murray in his Jeep with the ventilation hose running into it from the exhaust, authorities said. He voluntarily went into the church to talk to the priest and was taken into custody without incident at 10 a.m.

Some officers who responded to the church wore tactical gear, leading several local news stations to describe the incident as a police standoff. But Steele said Thursday that the tactical team response had been "out of an abundance of caution."

In fact, Murray came out unarmed on his own, Steele said, and never barricaded himself inside, Steele said.

In a statement, Murray told police he stole the gun and ammunition from the department and disposed of the items under the Collegeville bridge on Tuesday morning, according to the documents. Steele said there was no indication why Murray had stolen the gun.

In a search of Murray's Jeep, police found another loaded gun, according to the documents. Steele said the gun had been legally purchased and was not stolen, but added that Murray no longer had a license to carry.

Murray was fired June 2 after two suspensions for noncriminal violations, said Steele, who would not elaborate.

"It appeared he had been going through a number of issues," Steele said.

Between his termination and the theft, Murray had not had any encounters with law enforcement, Steele said.

Murray, who was awaiting arraignment Thursday afternoon, was charged with theft, reckless endangerment, vandalism and illegal possession of a weapon.

The former officer was at a secure place "someone is taken to deal with these matters,"  Steele said, but authorities would not say where that was.

Staff writer Joseph A. Gambardello contributed to this article.