District Court Wrap: Asleep at the Wheel

The following cases came before Judge Darlington in District Court 15-2-5 on Wednesday, Dec. 28. This is not a comprehensive list of all cases heard that day.

Earl Eden, 62, of Avondale, was in court for DUI and driving a vehicle without valid registration and inspection. A witness testified that, while driving home on Route 30 just before midnight one night in October, he saw the defendant's black Cadillac coupe stopped in the eastbound turning lane to Route 29 and the defendant slumped over the driver seat. Officer Tyler Nace of East Whiteland Police officer testified that he found Eden with the keys in his hand, photocopies of his license and Social Security cards in his pockets, and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Blood testing at Paoli Hospital revealed a blood alcohol concentration greater than 0.3 percent. Eden, who was previously in court on harassment charges, was shackled at the hands and feet. Judge Darlington ordered him held for trial on all charges and set bail at $5,000. The defense lawyer requested leniency because Eden was in need of surgery, but the judge deemed him a "threat to the community" due to his criminal history.

Lucius James, 51, of Philadelphia, was in court of charges of theft. He entered into an agreement with prosecutors in which he will pay $1,000 restitution and have no contact with Siemens, in exchange for which the charge will be reduced to disorderly conduct.

Raymond Depamphilis, 22, of Eddystone, appeared on charges of theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property. He entered into an agreement with prosecutors to repay $80 in restitution to Wegmans and have no contact with the store, in exchange for which the charges will be amended to summary retail theft. He was released on $2,500 unsecured bail.

Judith Trombetti, 47, of Paoli, faced charges of writing bad checks. She entered into an agreement with the district attorney's office to make restitution of $230.35 to Malvern Auto within 60 days, and the misdemeanor charge against her would be reduced to a summary offense. While determining bail, Judge Darlington asked Trombetti about arrests in 1994 and 1999, which she said she couldn't recall. Bail was set at $1,000 unsecured.

Danny Simmons, 49, of Philadelphia, was in court facing 124 charges, including multiple instances of identity theft, receiving stolen property, forgery and fighting. A witness testified that her wallet had been stolen from her purse while she had lunch at Wegmans in March and her credit cards had been used in several nearby stores. Sgt. Louis Marcelli of the East Whiteland Police detectives unit testified that he had reviewed surveillance tape from Wegmans, which showed a man sitting near the witness and reaching into her purse, and the other stores. Marcelli sent a still image from the tapes to nearby police departments. A Philadelphia police officer identified the man in the tapes as Simmons, for whom a warrant was already issued in an unrelated matter. Judge Darlington rejected defense counsel's request that the charges be dropped because a similar case—possibly another part of the same overall crime—had been recently prosecuted in a neighboring jurisdiction. Simmons was held for trial on 14 counts each of forgery, receiving stolen property, theft, identity theft and other offenses. Bail was set at $5,000.