Photo by James Short.
A Norristown man is facing charges after he allegedly kicked in the front door of a home on Jackson Avenue then threatened the homeowner.
Preston Minnick, 58, has been charged with one felony count of criminal trespassing, along with misdemeanor counts of defiant trespassing, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and related summary offenses, in connection with the April 28 incident.
Minnick is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 cash bail, along with a probation detainor.
Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Jackson Avenue for a report of someone kicking in the front door of a home. The 911 caller identified the suspect as Minnick and told arriving officers that Minnick had arrived at the home to apologize for an earlier disagreement, then attempted to push past them and force entry into the home when he was told to leave, police said.
According to the criminal complaint, the homeowner initially used mace to subdue Minnick and shut the front door, however Minnick then allegedly kicked the door open and threatened the homeowner, before leaving the property. A witness at the scene corroborated aspects of the homeowner’s account of events, police said.
Minnick was located by police two blocks from the home, where he complained about being maced but denied forcing his way into the home, kicking the door or making any threats, police said. He was arrested in connection with the incident, as well as an outstanding warrant, and a search of his person uncovered crack cocaine, a crack pipe, and other drug paraphernalia, according to charging documents.
All charges were held over for trial during Minnick’s preliminary hearing on May 10, and his next court appearance is a formal arraignment at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on June 26.
Court records show Minnick also faces two sets of charges in Upper Gwynedd Township, related to a pair of alleged retail thefts from the Royal Farms at Sumneytown Pike and Church Road on March 12 and March 30. In those cases, Minnick is accused of stealing $48.22 and $14.80 in merchandise, respectively. However, the charges were upgraded to third-degree felonies due to Minnick having at least six prior retail theft convictions, police said.
He’s also facing a fourth set of charges, stemming from a retail theft in Plymouth Township, court records show.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
