South Heidelberg police charge man with burglary

by Steve Reinbrecht

Spotting a Pittsburgh Steelers blanket in a suspect’s house helped South Heidelberg police make a case against a Womelsdorf man they say stole a safe, a bottle of cognac and the blanket from a township man’s house on Christmas.

Also in December, township police charged another man for violating protection-from-abuse orders, saying he called and texted the victim.

That was the worst of the crime reported in December in Southwestern Berks.

According to court records:

The tale of the burglary started when Christian Racine, 20, and a woman companion visited the victim’s home in the 500 block of Hill Road about 12:30 p.m. Dec. 25.

The victim wouldn’t let the woman inside but talked with Racine. Through a window, he saw the woman walk to the backyard, where he and his parents found her under the deck. His father told the visitors to leave and not come back.

Later, as the victim was walking to Wernersville for cigarettes, a car with Racine, his mother and the woman passed him twice – heading toward his house and then back.

When he got home, he noticed an outside door to his bedroom was open and discovered the safe, which had gift cards and headphones, was gone from under his bed, and the cognac was gone from the mini-fridge in his room. He told police the woman knew he had a safe under his bed.

About 1 a.m. the next morning, Racine and the woman appeared at the victim’s outside bedroom door. When he told them to leave, the pair tossed patio equipment around.

Police went to Racine’s mother’s house the next day. Racine, the woman and his mother were there. The officer noticed the blanket, the mother consented to a search, and officers found the broken-open safe and cognac bottle. Racine told police the safe had also contained cannabis and methamphetamine, which he and the woman consumed.

Police also charged Racine with stealing two knives from another man’s unlocked pickup truck near the victim’s house.

In another case of alleged criminal behavior, South Heidelberg police charged David Koehler, 50, of Willow Road, Sinking Spring, with violating a protection-from-abuse order signed in November and in effect through 2019. He called the victim three times and texted six times, police said.

In general, the 20,000 residents or so in Wernersville, Lower Heidelberg, South Heidelberg and Sinking Spring lived in relative peace and safety, measured by police reports and 9-1-1 calls. 

All together, police reported 43 crimes in the four municipalities in December, up from the 38 reported in November.

A commercial burglary reported Dec. 30 in the 100 block of West Penn Avenue in Robesonia was under investigation, Western Berks Police Chief William Schlichter said Monday.

As usual, most of the violence appeared to be domestic.

Lower Heidelberg police responded to a report of a domestic assault with injuries about 7:30 p.m. Dec. 25 in the 100 block of New York Avenue. Police were still investigating, Police Chief Tom Deiterich said Monday.

Domestic trouble was also reported in Lower Heidelberg on Saddlebrook Drive and Pine Street.

In Sinking Spring, it was reported on James Street, Shillington Road, Sioux Court, Huron Drive, Vester Place, and Woodrow and Evans avenues.

In South Heidelberg, domestic trouble was reported on Butternut and Elm View courts, Mountain Home and Texter Mountain roads, North Arthur Drive, and Caramist and Lambda circles.

In Wernersville, it was reported on Beckley Street and West Penn Avenue.