‘Career burglar’ goes back to his old habits, police say
A 56-year-old “career burglar” was arrested in Swarthmore, allegedly while in the process of committing a residential burglary – and just months after the “model prisoner” was released on early parole in connection with a 2008 crime spree, according to authorities.
Kevin Trusty, of the first block of West Parkway Avenue in Chester, was arrested in Swarthmore on Feb. 21 after a homeowner interrupted a burglary in the 200 block of Lafayette Avenue, ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911, authorities said. Trusty subsequently confessed and was charged in similar incidents in Media, Upper Providence and Nether Providence, authorities in each town reported.
During the course of his arrest, Trusty allegedly resisted so violently he had to be subdued with a Taser, according to information posted online by the Media Police Department. A Swarthmore police officer was injured during the course of his arrest.
Following his apprehension in Swarthmore, Trusty was interviewed by investigators from the Media, Upper Providence and Nether Providence police departments regarding open similar cases.
“As a result of the interview, the defendant confessed to three burglaries that were committed in Nether Providence Township over the course of the past few months,” Nether Providence Police Chief David Splain stated in a prepared release issued Wednesday.
The burglaries in Nether Providence occurred on Jan. 9, 2017, in the 200 block of Hidden Acres Lane; on Dec. 29, 2016, in the 100 block of Walker Lane; and on Nov. 1, 2016, in the 900 block of Twyckenham Road.
Trusty is currently in custody at the county prison on charges involving the Swarthmore incident. Those charges include burglary, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and loitering and prowling at night. His bail in that case was set at $100,000 cash.
Complaints have been lodged by Nether Providence, as well as Upper Providence and Media on charges involving at least eight similar incidents, authorities said.
Splain lauded the joint effort by all four police departments involved.
“We were looking at him early in the investigation. He’s good at what he does. We just had to be patient and wait for him to make a mistake, and he did,” Splain said.
According to Swarthmore police, a Lafayette Avenue resident entered her house about 7:14 p.m. on Feb. 21 to find the rear sliding glass door broken. When she heard noises inside the house, she ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911.
According to Media authorities, Media Patrolman Daniel Divito had just gotten off duty and was en route home in the evening hours of Feb. 21 – just four days after he was sworn in as a full time police officer when he heard the dispatch over his portable radio, pertaining to the 911 call on Lafayette Avenue in Swarthmore.
He arrived at the scene about the same time as Swarthmore Officer Ann Bardo. Divito saw the suspect in the house. The suspect was headed in Bardo’s direction in the rear of the property, according to Swarthmore police.
“The suspect exited the property through the broken door and Officer Bardo hollered commands for the offender to stop and show his hands,” according to a Swarthmore police release.
Trusty dropped a backpack he was carrying and fled. He was subsequently captured with the assistance of Officer Scott McGrady of the Morton Police Department and Sgt. Patrick Fisher and Patrolman Michael Worrell of the Nether Providence Police Department. Bardo was injured during the course of the arrest, and was treated at Springfield Hospital and released, according to Swarthmore authorities.
Trusty has a rap sheet dating back to 1978, according to online court documents. Back in 2008, he was charged with more than 30 residential burglaries involving a spree in Upper Providence, making off with jewelry, cash and other valuables. At the same time, he was facing similar charges in Media and Nether Providence.
In May 2008, Trusty pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary and was sentenced to serve two to four years for each offense, with consecutive confinement.
Despite letters of opposition from local police, Trusty was deemed a “model prisoner” and was released by the state probation and parole board in recent months. He “immediately went back on a crime spree,” according to a message posted on the Upper Providence Police Department’s Facebook page.