Crime & Safety

Pastor Discovers Burglar at St. Patrick School

A homeless man was arrested for burglary after police dogs tracked him to a nearby building.

A 54-year-old homeless man is in Chester County Prison after attempting to burglarize St. Patrick Parish School early Sunday morning.  

Larry Ellis was unable to post $15,000 cash bail after being arraigned via video by Judge Gwen Knapp. Ellis carried New York identification and has active warrants from that state.

According to Malvern Police, Rev. Christopher Redcay, the pastor at St. Patrick, was opening the building around 6:30 a.m. when he saw someone running down the hallway and alerted police. Two responding Malvern officers went inside the building while officers from Willistown and East Whiteland set up a perimeter.

Find out what's happening in Malvernwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"While we were inside, a resident of Channing Avenue reported seeing a man in her backyard hiding in bushes, who then he took off running when he observed her," Malvern Police Officer Pat Dougherty said.

Keep up on breaking news by liking Malvern Patch on Facebook.

Find out what's happening in Malvernwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Canine officers from the Chester County Sheriff's Office helped track the suspect to a nearby Gables building at the corner of Second and Channing avenues, where he was taken into custody.

Ellis admitted to the burglary at the school, according to police, who said he had broken a window to gain entry. Nothing has been reported missing.

Ellis claims to be homeless and his most recent address is Nassau County Prison in New York. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 24 before Judge Chester Darlington. The charges against him include burglary, criminal trespass and vandalism.

Dougherty praised the cooperative effort of the officers from the three municipalities who responded to the scene. He also commended the canine officers—Dep. John Freas and his dog, Buster, and Dep. John Heisler and his dog, Sabre—who he said were an integral part of the search.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Malvern