Wanted Lansdale woman apprehended

A 31-year-old Lansdale woman who failed to show up for court in Norristown three times to face an assault charge is done with dodging the law, a Lansdale police official said Monday.

Stephanie M. Virgilio, of the 1100 block of W. Main Street in the borough, was wanted on a Montgomery County bench warrant for failing to appear in October 2008 to face charges of simple assault and harassment.

Lansdale Police Sergeant Alex Kromdyk said police received information on Feb. 9 that Virgilio was about to flee with her children to South Carolina to avoid trial.

Police officers were dispatched to her apartment, and heard a woman saying, "When I get to South Carolina, I'm going to kiss the ground. I'm never coming back to Pennsylvania and will never see the inside of a Pennsylvania jail."

Virgilio was arrested on charges of failure to appear and turned over to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department.

On Feb. 10, Senior Judge William T. Nicholas revoked Virgilio's bail. Her public defender, William I. English Jr., was not immediately available for comment.

The charges against Virgilio - one a misdemeanor, the other a summary offense - were originally lodged by Abington Township police on Sept. 7, 2007, according to court records.

She was ordered to stand trial, but failed to appear three times in 2008. Her $2,000 bail was forfeited and a bench warrant issued in February, August and October, court records showed.

"She may be kissing the ground in South Carolina, but it won't be as soon as she thought it would be," Kromdyk said.

Contact staff writer Bonnie L. Cook at 610-313-8232 or bcook@phillynews.com.