Bogus 911 Call Leads to Bridge Street Drug Arrest, Police Say

A 21-year-old Phoenixville man was arrested on drug charges late last month after he called 911 and made a bogus burglary report, Phoenixville Police are reporting.

On Feb. 26 at 4:18 a.m., Phoenixville Police responded to the 200 block of Bridge Street for a report of a burglary in progress. According to court documents, the 911 dispatcher told police that John Lasorda, a resident of the address, had called and said that he had a gun and planned to shoot the intruders in his home.

When police arrived on the scene, they were met by Lasorda in the basement. Police say Lasorda had a screwdriver in his left hand. They told Lasorda to drop the tool and immediately searched him for weapons. During the pat down, police say Lasorda told them he lied to the dispatcher about the gun, but had a white powder in his pocket. Police determined that Lasorda was under the influence of a controlled substance.

Officers searched the basement for other people, and found nothing, police say. They did, however, find a bottle containing four Suboxone tablets Lasorda said he was holding for a friend, a knife, and a safe that smelled like marijuana that Lasorda, according to court documents, admitted had “just a little bit” of the drug inside it.

Police say they found pills, packets, and assorted paraphernalia in the safe. The white substance the defendant had in his pocket was lab tested and confirmed as cocaine, police say.

John Anthony Lasorda was arrested and on March 12 was charged with a felony drug possession, an additional charge related to making a false 911 report, and several other misdemeanors stemming from the narcotics police found.

He faces preliminary hearing on Thursday.