AVONDALE, PA — Pennsylvania State Police from the Avondale barracks were called into action across southern Chester County in late December and early January as troopers investigated a wide-ranging series of alleged crimes and crashes, including retail thefts, harassment complaints, suspected impaired driving, property thefts, and multiple serious traffic collisions, according to a 20-page incident release from the agency.
One of the highest-profile arrests occurred on January 9, 2026, at about 4:45 p.m., when troopers responded to the Walmart at 516 School House Road in East Marlborough Township. Police allege that a 34-year-old woman from Princess Anne, Maryland, later identified as Waleaka Jones, was involved in the theft of $278 worth of children’s clothing. Troopers said she was taken into custody and charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property.
A separate theft investigation remains active in East Nottingham Township after a 31-year-old man from Oxford reported that items were stolen from a 2005 dark blue Ford Explorer. The theft was reported on December 31, 2025, at approximately 11:20 a.m. at the PSP Avondale lobby, where the victim said the items had last been seen about a month earlier.
In Lower Oxford Township, troopers are investigating an alleged organized theft at the Walmart on 800 Commons Drive. Police said that on December 28, 2025, at about 6:32 p.m., multiple toolboxes filled with hand tools and power tools valued at approximately $3,500 were taken from a pickup truck in the parking lot. Surveillance video reportedly showed several individuals removing the items, and at least one suspect was identified.
A separate fraud-related case was reported on December 29, 2025, in Penn Township, where a 74-year-old West Grove woman told police she was allegedly convinced to mail $11,000 in cash to an individual in New York after being deceived.
Troopers also responded to several harassment complaints. On December 26, 2025, a 23-year-old woman from West Grove reported an alleged harassment at the PSP Avondale lobby. Earlier, on December 6, 2025, troopers were called to West Nottingham Township after a disturbance involving a 17-year-old girl. A 20-year-old woman from Elkton, Maryland, was issued a non-traffic citation for alleged harassment.
A suspected impaired-driving crash was reported on January 7, 2026, at about 3:10 p.m. on Lenape Road near Parkerville Road in Pocopson Township. Troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a 2010 gray Honda Civic driven by a 35-year-old man from Kennett Square. The vehicle was towed, and the investigation into possible intoxication is ongoing.
Meanwhile, a string of serious crashes was documented across the region. On January 11, 2026, at 10:38 a.m., two Chevrolet vehicles collided at the intersection of Baltimore Pike and Gap Newport Pike in London Grove Township, causing functional damage but no reported injuries. A similar rear-end crash was reported on January 9 on Jennersville Road in Penn Township, where a Ford Escape and a Jeep Renegade collided after traffic stopped suddenly.
Earlier, on January 8, 2026, a crash at South Guernsey Road and State Road in London Grove Township involved a BMW electric vehicle and a Honda Accord, damaging a PennDOT stop sign but leaving both vehicles drivable. That same day, a collision on the Kennett Oxford Bypass in Kennett Township damaged both a GMC Yukon and a Freightliner truck.
Several December crashes were also included in the release, including a December 19 tree strike on North Creek Road in London Britain Township that sent a 68-year-old man to Christiana Care for suspected minor injuries, and a December 16 collision in Pennsbury Township that ended with a Nissan Altima hitting a guardrail after another driver allegedly fled the scene.
Police also investigated a December 16 crash in Penn Township when a vehicle struck a stop sign at State Road and McKinney Farm Lane after failing to stop at a posted intersection.
State police emphasized that all of the criminal and crash investigations detailed in the release remain subject to further review. Any person identified as a suspect, arrestee, or defendant in these matters is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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