Woman Locks Herself in Bathroom During Attempted Home Invasion in Lower Gwynedd, Police Say

A Philadelphia man was arrested on Thursday night after he
allegedly attempted to force entry into a home in Lower Gwynedd as a fearful
homeowner locked herself in the bathroom and watched the incident playout on
security cameras.

Hykeem Wells, 40, has been charged with one felony count of
burglary along with a misdemeanor count of possessing an instrument of crime
and a summary charge of criminal trespassing in connection with the June 1
incident. He’s currently in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional
Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.

Lower Gwynedd Police were dispatched to a home on Florence Drive at 8:03 p.m. for a report of a burglary in progress. The female caller
stated that an unknown male — later identified as Wells — was using some
sort of tool to force entry on their front door, police said. The woman
indicated she had locked herself in a second-floor bathroom and was watching Wells
attempt to gain entry via exterior surveillance cameras, according to the
criminal complaint.

Multiple area police departments, including units from Upper
Gwynedd, Upper Dublin, Whitpain Township, and Ambler Borough, were also dispatched
to the scene.

Arriving police located Wells behind trees and shrubbery on
the west side of the home and took him into custody, police said. Investigators
recovered multiple bags near the front door of the home belonging to Wells,
which included various tools, paperwork, clothing, and hardware, according to
charging documents.

Police noted the weather stripping on the front door had
been separated, and numerous metal screws were resting below the front door on
the ground.

In an interview with police, the woman — who was described
as visibly shaken — said she heard a noise at her front door and went to
another room to view her exterior surveillance footage. She said she observed
Wells placing a bag at her front door, attempting to use a tool to force entry,
then walking around the home attempting to gain access via several other doors,
according to the complaint.

She also noted that Wells was seen talking on his phone from
outside the home, police said.

The woman was taken outside where she positively identified Wells
as the man she had seen on her security system, police said. She additionally
confirmed the damage to the front door wasn’t there prior to his arrival,
according to the complaint.

Wells was arraigned the following morning by Magisterial
District Judge Paul Leo and was transferred to county jail after failing to
post bail. Court records show his next court appearance is a preliminary
hearing on June 15 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan
Leonard.

A review of court records shows Wells has an extensive
history of arrests and convictions across Montgomery County and Philadelphia on
charges ranging from criminal trespassing and drug offenses to theft, forgery,
and disarming a law enforcement officer. At the time of the incident in Lower Gwynedd,
Wells was free on $1,000 cash bail on a felony criminal trespassing – breaking into
structure charge from an incident in Norristown Borough in April 2022.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven
guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of
probable cause.

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