CRANBERRY TWP — An Allegheny County man who allegedly stole more than $30,000 worth of merchandise from four Walmart stores across the region will head to trial.
Scott Reed, 43, of Springdale waived his case to court in front of District Judge Dave Kovach last week. He will again be in court on Dec. 31 in Butler for his formal arraignment.
According to police documents, Reed is no stranger to retail theft, considering he has 16 prior arrests that resulted in 14 convictions.
It was a shoplifting spree that started early in August when Reed allegedly stole 11 iPad computers from the Cranberry Township Wal-mart totaling nearly $5,600.
From there, Reed traveled to Walmart stores in Armstrong, Fayette and Westmoreland counties, almost always striking in the early-morning hours.
According to police, Reed would break the locks on display cases before concealing the iPads and similar electronics under his coat. In most instances, he was in an out of the stores in less than 30 minutes.
Police eventually tracked Reed down by tracing his getaway car, a 1995 Mitsubishi Galant, and connecting the license plate to his registration. They also got help from an unnamed source who said, on several instances, he bought stolen iPads from Reed.
Police also said Reed used similar tactics on each occasion, including wearing the same disguise. He always worse disguises because he is “heavily tattooed on his face, head and neck area” and was afraid he’d be easily identifiable without it.
Reed is charged with numerous counts of retail theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.
He remains incarcerated in the county prison, unable to post a $50,000 bond.
