Atlantic City man with pending charges ordered held for allegedly driving stolen vehicle

An Atlantic City man pulled over in a stolen vehicle was ordered held in jail Tuesday.

Thomas Andrews, 56, was on pretrial release with 11 pending charges when he was pulled over after a license plate reader alerted police that he was driving a stolen vehicle, according to the charges.

Andrews' attorney argued that there is no proof his client would know the vehicle was reported stolen. He also noted that Andrews' only criminal conviction was a drug case from 34 years ago.

But in the past 15 months, Andrews has incurred several pending charges in the past 15 months, mostly connected to drugs, according to the list read in court. He also has pending charges that include arson, receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence.

Andrews also has failed to appear four times in the past two years.

He also has a motor vehicle violation from March 2023, for operating a vehicle without consent of the owner.

The recent spike in criminal charges and Andrews' failures to show up to court were reflected in the public safety assessment that recommended he not be released.

Judge Dorothy Incarvito-Garrabrant agreed that Andrews should remain jailed.