A automatic license plate reader (ALPR) on a Newtown Township police vehicle helped catch a woman allegedly driving a stolen car.
Officer Joseph Camp wrote in court papers that he was on patrol earlier this month on Durham Road by the police station when his vehicle-mounted ALPR system pinged on a license plate entered stolen out of Plumstead Township. Bucks County dispatchers confirmed the hit on the plate and he called for backup while trailing the vehicle into Buckingham Township.
A traffic stop was conducted with the assistance of other officers in the 1900 block of Durham Road in Buckingham, police said.
The driver of the vehicle – identified as Sarine Johnson, 57, whose address is listed as both Bensalem and Warrington – was taken into custody.
The owner of the vehicle said Johnson rented the vehicle in February from Autorent in Doylestown. After not returning the vehicle, it was reported stolen to Plumstead police in mid-April, according to court papers.
Johnson was charged with theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. She was set free on $20,000 unsecured bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
