Arrest Made in Tire Slashing at D.A.’s House

District Attorney Seth Williams | Photo by Matt Rourke/AP

The Great Philadelphia Tire Slashing Mystery of 2015 has apparently been solved at long last.

According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Philadelphia magazine, a suspect named Stacey Cummings is being charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and possession of an instrument of crime for allegedly slashing tires on two city security vehicles outside the Overbrook home of District Attorney Seth Williams back in November.

Williams and Cummings at a 2014 March Madness party. Photo | HughE Dillon

Cummings, 47, was expected to surrender to police on Sunday, law enforcement sources said. She allegedly admitted to slashing the tires during an interview with investigators last week, according to the affidavit. If her name sounds familiar, it’s for good reason: Cummings was listed as Williams’s girlfriend when the D.A. recently disclosed more than $160,000 worth of gifts he received between 2010 and 2015. (Cummings gave Williams a Rolex watch in 2012 that was valued at $6,500, and she and her father gave Williams $1,100 worth of suits and dress shirts in 2014 as a birthday present.)

It’s unclear if Williams and Cummings are still an item, or what, exactly, led to the tires being slashed on the security vehicles, a Ford Escape and a Ford Crown Victoria.

Cameron Kline, Williams’s spokesman, emailed the following statement:

“Due to the potential conflict of interest, all decisions regarding investigatory matters, charges, bail requests, and the prosecution of this matter are being handled by the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.

“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office referred the matter to Delaware County but was required to enter the charges approved by Delaware County into the Philadelphia arrest report system.”

The city shelled out more than $800 to replace the damaged tires. The Inquirer wrote about the incident in April. Philly police weren’t actively investigating the act of vandalism at that time, which seemed…odd.

In an interview with Philadelphia magazine earlier this summer, Williams claimed tires on another car on his street had been slashed as well, but otherwise demurred when asked if the vandalism was tied in some way to his personal life, as rumors in law enforcement circles suggested.

Follow @dgambacorta on Twitter.