Man allegedly steals 4 TVs in just 1 week
Butler police Wednesday charged a man with stealing three big-screen televisions from the same store in the same week.
Alexander J. Welter, 20, of Clay Township over four days allegedly took the TVs valued at a combined $1,179 from the Kmart at the Pullman Square shopping plaza.
On Thursday, Cranberry Township police charged him with shoplifting yet another TV — his fourth one last week.
Welter’s alleged prowess as a television thief ended Saturday when Cranberry police stopped his car after he tried to steal a TV sound system from a store.
The charges racked up against Welter, who is in the Butler County Prison on $12,500 bail.
Butler police suspect Welter pushed his luck after getting away with the first two thefts on April 18 and 20, according to court documents, when he took a 48-inch Samsung television on each of those days. Each TV is worth $450.
He returned shortly before 3 p.m. April 21 and was seen leaving the store with a 40-inch RCA television, valued at $279, that he had not paid for, police said.
However, an employee was able to get the license plate number of the suspect’s getaway car, which Welter owns.
A Kmart security officer told police he believed the thief was the same person who took the TVs earlier that week, documents said. Police confirmed those suspicions after reviewing store surveillance video.
Still on the loose, Welter on April 21 drove to Cranberry Township and stole a 50-inch Vizio television, equipped with surround-sound, valued at $649, from the Walmart on Route 19.
The store’s security officer saw the theft but was unable to stop the suspect. But he got the license plate number, police said.
Two days later, Welter was back at the same Walmart store. Armed with a utility-style knife to cut spider wrapping, he tried unsuccessfully to steal a Sony stereo system worth $96.
He made an empty-handed getaway but police were immediately called and quickly stopped the defendant on Route 19.
During a search, police found him with a stolen license plate and three empty stamp bags of suspected heroin.
Cranberry police charged him in separate cases with two counts of retail theft, possession of an instrument of crime and drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property and driving a vehicle with a stolen license plate.
Butler police charged him with three counts of retail theft.
