By Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now
A Philadelphia man with a criminal history of 15 prior retail theft convictions has settled most of his 17 active retail theft cases following plea agreements with prosecutors in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Joshua Burden, 43, has been sentenced to 2 to 4 years in county jail after pleading guilty to multiple counts of retail theft across Montgomery County. Burden was also sentenced to 2½ to 6 years in county jail after pleading guilty to multiple counts of retail theft across Bucks County, including incidents in Falls, Middletown, and Upper Makefield townships.
Court records show Burden is in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, where he is serving both sentences concurrently. Burden also has four remain open cases in Delaware and Chester counties.
This news organization and North Penn Now, local news organization in Montgomery County, become aware of the myriad sets of charges against Burden in September 2022, after he was arrested for stealing more than $340 worth of merchandise from a Wawa on Bethlehem Pike in Lower Gwynedd Township.
Police were called to the scene at 1:20 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2022, for a report of a retail theft. Store personnel told responding officers that a man — later identified as Burden — began to pay for his merchandise at the credit card terminal but instead exited the store with the merchandise without paying, according to charging documents.
Stolen items included three cartons of cigarettes and multiple food items, totaling $344.28, police said.
The criminal complaint noted Burden had 15 prior retail theft convictions across Pennsylvania. A further review of court records showed he has been arrested for retail theft an additional 16 times since June 2022 across Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties — not including the Lower Gwynedd arrest.
The incidents were as follows:
• June 20 – Burden is accused of retail theft in West Norriton Township, Montgomery County
• June 26 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Chester Heights Borough, Delaware County
• June 28 – Burden Is accused of retail theft in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County
• July 4 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Falls Township, Bucks County
• July 9 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Lower Southampton Township, Bucks County
• July 13 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County
• July 15 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County
• Aug. 6 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Newtown Township, Bucks County
• Aug. 7 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Falls Township, Bucks County
• Aug. 12 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Middletown Township, Bucks County
• Aug. 15 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Falls Township, Bucks County
• Aug. 21 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County
• Aug. 25 – Burden is accused of retail theft in East Whiteland Township, Chester County
• Aug. 29 – Burden is accused of retail theft in West Whiteland Township, Chester County
• Sept. 1 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Bensalem Township, Bucks County
• Sept. 4 – Burden is accused of retail theft in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County
None of the dockets showed an arrest being made on the date of the alleged offense, meaning charges were filed and he was arraigned after the fact. In each case, Burden was charged with at least one count of felony retail theft, with most dockets carrying additional counts of receiving stolen property and related offenses.
