Duo suspected in string of crimes
Two Butler County men are awaiting hearings in connection with a large theft and vandalism spree that spanned two counties.
Austin E. Miller, 18, of Middlesex Township is charged in 11 cases in Butler County and four others in Allegheny County.
Eric J. Klein, 20, of Jefferson Township is charged in eight cases in Butler County and two more in Allegheny County.
The suspects between February and April, authorities said, teamed up to allegedly steal pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles, car parts, tools, landscaping equipment and other property.
During that same time, police said, the pair damaged a bike trail, a public park and a horse boarding facility.
It didn't take long for police to identify Miller and Klein in the string of crimes, either together or separately, documents said.
Troopers arrested the pair following a traffic stop April 9 in Penn Township.
According to police, Miller began detailing items the duo had stolen when interviewed by troopers back at the state police barracks. A subsequent search warrant obtained by state police for Miller's home on Kozy Corner uncovered the scope of the suspected crime spree, authorities said.
Investigators seized more than $250,000 worth of stolen property, according to court documents, including vehicles, tree-trimming equipment, utility trailers and a woodchipper valued at $40,000.
Six police departments and Allegheny County detectives have charged one or both of the defendants. State police on Wednesday filed the latest cases, all in Butler County.
Investigators in court papers said Miller has admitted to the crimes and implicated Klein. But Klein has denied involvement in all but one of the cases, police said.
Klein's attorney, Michael Pawk of Butler, on Tuesday declined to comment on the charges.
Miller's attorney, Jacob Wyland of McKees Rocks, Allegheny County, did not return a telephone call this week.
In Butler County, Miller is accused of these crimes:• March — Obtained 43 stolen steel railroad plates and a railroad track switching mechanism owned by the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad. Charged by state police.• March 26 — Obtained a stolen Caterpillar skid steer stolen from a construction site in Clinton Township. Charged by Middlesex Township police.• April 9 — Possessed a loaded .357-caliber revolver without a concealed carry permit. The handgun was found hidden in a vehicle following a traffic stop at Golden City and Anderson roads in Penn Township. Charged by state police.• April 9 — Obtained a stolen 6-ton winch from the driveway of a home in the 200 block of Great Belt Road in Jefferson Township. Charged by state police.Klein is accused of this crime in Butler County:• April 4 to 5 — Vandalized 200 feet of fencing and a mailbox at the Horse on Course Equestrian Center on Spring Valley Road in Clinton Township. Damage totaled $3,057. Charged by state police.Together, in the county, the defendants are accused of these crimes:• March 13 — Stole a 2006 Ford F350 pickup truck from Brayman Construction at the Victory Road Industrial Park in Clinton Township. Truck is valued at $20,000. Charged by state police.• March 13 — Stole a woodchipper and trailer from Vaughn's Tree service in Tarentum, Allegheny County. Woodchipper valued at $40,000. Trailer valued at $7,000. Charged by state police.• March 20 and 23 — Stole parts and tires from eight 2015 Dodge Ram pickups at the Diehl Auto Group dealership parking lot on Route 8 in Penn Township. Theft totaled $8,100. Charged by Penn Township police.• March 23 to 24 — Burglarized P.A. Blakley Contracting on Saxonburg Boulevard in Clinton Township and stole two all-terrain vehicles, 30 hand tools, 16 chain binders, a diamond plated 100-gallon fuel tank and six metal gas cans. Theft totaled $7,000. Charged by state police.• April 8 to 9 — Vandalized the Butler-Freeport Community Trail between Jefferson and Buffalo townships. They drove a vehicle on the trail, damaging five steel entrance gates, five metals signs and four wooden posts. Damage totaled $2,250. Charged by state police.• April 8 — Stole a 1997 Dodge diesel pickup truck from Bauman's Compute-A-Line repair shop on Route 356 in Jefferson Township. Truck valued at $10,000. Charged by state police.• April 8 — Klein stole a 2002 Dodge pickup truck from Dinnerbell Garage on Dinnerbell Road in Middlesex Township. He drove it to Miller's house and both defendants stripped off some parts and damaged the truck by intentionally driving it into objects.Damage and repair cost totaled $4,110. Charged by Middlesex Township police.Miller is charged in Butler County with 75 felonies, including 32 counts of theft, 34 counts of receiving stolen property, six counts of conspiracy, and burglary, trespass and carrying a firearm without a permit.Klein in the county is charged with 74 felonies including 34 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property, six counts of conspiracy, and burglary and trespass.Preliminary hearings for the defendants are set for July 8 at the office of District Judge Sue Haggerty in Saxonburg. They remain free on bail.Miller and Klein face still more felonies in Allegheny County in connection with other alleged thefts.Among those suspected crimes, according to the Northern Regional Police Department, the defendants on April 5 stole a 2003 Ford F250 Super Cab pickup truck from KLS Landscaping on Route 8 in Richland Township.The pair — Klein in the stolen truck and Miller in his pickup — drove to nearby Richland Township Park and “turfed” the park. Police said they also rammed and knocked over at least two portable toilets.The defendants later drove back into Butler County and allegedly set fire to the stolen truck, which was found burned April 6 in Clinton Township.Both are charged in that case with arson, theft and conspiracy.West Deer Township police also have charged both suspects in an April 2 theft case.Additionally, Miller is charged by Hampton Township police in a Feb. 20 burglary and theft case, and by Allegheny County detectives in a March 2 theft-related case in Tarentum.
