The police officer charged with stealing $825 from a tavern in Northeast Philadelphia last month surrendered to authorities this morning.
Officer Kenneth Crockett, 56, had been involuntarily committed to a hospital last week after he learned he would be charged in the high profile case.
He was one of three police officers who responded to a tripped burglar alarm July 24 at a Frankford auto body shop.
Nearby, they discovered an unlocked door at Pat's Cafe, which has become something of a police shrine after Officer Gary Skerski was shot and killed there in 2006 while responding to an armed robbery.
The officers went inside to investigate. Surveillance cameras recorded their visit. The cameras also captured images of one of the officers reaching into a safe behind the bar.
Crockett, a 26-year veteran and a member of the K-9 squad, was charged July 27 with first-degree misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property. Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey suspended Crockett for 30 days with intent to dismiss.
District Attorney Seth Williams had said Crockett was involuntarily committed to a mental institution early on July 27 because his family feared he "was a danger to himself."
Today officers picked him up at the hospital at 10:30 a.m. and took him into custody, a spokeswoman for Williams said.
Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796 or samwood@phillynews.com.
