Community Corner

Serial burglar heads to county court, faces 21 criminal charges

Gary Kieffer, 39, of Philadelphia, is charged with six counts of burglary in Towamencin and Lower Salford townships

Joe Sirianni was meant to stay home from work on December 2, 2010.

If he hadn’t, there’s a good chance Gary Kieffer would still be out there allegedly burglarizing houses.

Instead, Kieffer, 39, heads to Montgomery County court in February for arraignment on 21 criminal charges, including six counts of felony burglary for admitted break-ins in Towamencin and Lower Salford townships.

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Other charges include one count of felony robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit burglary, one count of possessing an instrument of crime, one count of terroristic threats, two counts of felony theft, three counts of misdemeanor theft, two counts of felony receiving stolen property and three counts of misdemeanor receiving stolen property.

Kieffer waived all charges at a preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon before District Judge Harold Borek.

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Kieffer has also been linked to numerous other crimes in Montgomery County, Bucks County, and the Philadelphia, Lehigh, Carbon, and Pocono areas that are being investigated by the agencies of primary jurisdiction, according to police.

Allentown Police arrested Kieffer on Dec. 3 and remanded him to the State Corrections Institute in Frackville, according to police.

On Dec. 2, the Sirianni family had just put up their Christmas tree, decorations and all inside their home on the 2100 block of Old Forty Foot Road in Towamencin.

“I decided to stay home that day. I fell asleep on the couch and then I heard a knock on the door,” said Sirianni. “And then I heard another. I thought it was my friend hunting in my backyard.”

It wasn’t a friend; it was just the opposite.

“I saw two men walk to a vehicle,” Sirianni said. “They backed up on my grass, like they were leaving. But they backed up to my garage.”

Those two men were Kieffer and a yet unidentified accomplice.

Sirianni said he watched the duo from his front window. The passenger got out and into the driver seat. The driver was nowhere to be seen, as he made his way to the rear of the house.

“I heard the kitchen door open,” Sirianni said. “I heard the jingle of the bells on the door.”

It was later determined that Kieffer had forced open a screen door to the Sirianni’s breezeway and made his way to the unlocked back door to the kitchen.

By this time, Sirianni was standing in the kitchen, unbeknownst to Kieffer.

“I stood back waiting,” he said.

He said Kieffer was standing there with a crowbar, signaling to his accomplice and he yelled, “It’s open.”

At this time, Sirianni made his presence known.

“I came to the door and said, ‘What the (expletive)?!’”

According to Sirianni, and the criminal complaint, Kieffer allegedly held up a crowbar in a threatening manner and said, “You owe Jimmy money.”

Sirianni fired back, “Who the (expletive) is Jimmy?”

Sirianni then came at Kieffer. Kieffer, Sirianni said, threatened to shoot him.

“He yelled to his friend to get the gun,” Sirianni said. “I kept coming at him.”

Kieffer and his accomplice ran to their vehicle, later identified as a silver 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, jumped in and sped off.

“I ran down the driveway in my boxers,” Sirianni said. “I saw the license plate number. That’s what caught them.”

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Lauren McNulty said Kieffer was previously arraigned on the three Towamencin Township burglaries, and an amended criminal complaint was filed Dec. 30 to include three burglary charges from Lower Salford.

On Tuesday, Kieffer was arraigned again on all six charges before District Judge Harold Borek in Lansdale, and waived all charges.

All charges were held over for county arraignment Feb. 23.

Borek approved a bail reduction from $50,000 straight to $50,000 unsecured, in order for Kieffer to be remanded to the state to address a parole issue.

The victims of the burglaries were subpoenaed to testify Tuesday, but the waiving of the charges to county court did not require them to do so.

Kieffer asked Borek to waive his arraignment in county court, but Borek told him he did not have the authority or forms from the District Attorney to do so.

“No, it’s  because you don’t want it to be done,” Kieffer said.

Borek told him again that the District Attorney controls all paperwork. Kieffer responded he didn’t understand.

McNulty updated the victims in the lobby of the district court regarding the case. They asked about retribution. She told them that the county judge can enforce Kieffer repay the victims monetarily for what was taken.

“Kieffer is in jail,” she told them. “He will sit in jail until this comes to trial. He was caught red-handed and he knows it.”

McNulty said Kieffer will not give up his accomplices. None of the items stolen have been located.

Towamencin Township Detective John Wittenberger told the victims that Kieffer told police, “If I give them up, I’m a dead man.”

According to the criminal complaint, Kieffer had an active parole warrant against him at the time of his arrest on Dec. 9. Police said Kieffer has a criminal history of burglary.

At his arrest, Kieffer admitted involvement in the burglaries.

“He would not elaborate on any accomplices or where he turned over the stolen jewelry,” the complaint states.

Following his first arraignment, Kieffer voluntarily drove around with police to point out the locations where he committed burglaries, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said Kieffer was able to provide specific details such as point of entry, stolen property, pets and living conditions.

Residences were burglarized at the following locations

  • A home on the 2100 block of Old Forty Foot Road, Towamencin Township.
  • A home on the 2000 block of Kriebel Road, Towamencin Township: On Nov. 17, between 8:10 a.m. and 6:49 p.m., cash, change and jewelry was taken, valued loss between $1,000 and $1,500.
  • A home on the 1900 block of Old Forty Foot Road, Towamencin Township: On Nov. 22, between 9 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., electronics, cash and jewelry were taken, valued loss at $6,524.
  • A home on the 800 block of Store Road, Lower Salford Township: On Nov. 22, police responded to a burglary report at 12:43 p.m. A rear door was forced open. $300 in cash was stolen from a bank envelope.
  • A home on the 500 block of Quarry Road, Lower Salford Township: On Nov. 22, police responded to a burglary report at 2:21 p.m. A rear first-floor window had its screen removed and a screwdriver was used to force the window until the manual locks failed. A fire safe was smashed and forced open, and electronics and jewelry were taken. Valued loss was estimated at $3,236.
  • A home on the 700 block of Quarry Road, Lower Salford Township: On Nov. 22, police responded at 6:45 p.m. for a burglary. The homeowner found his dogs were left out of their cages. A rear basement door was left open. Electronics, jewelry and a safe were removed from the home, with losses valued at $1,805.


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