WINFIELD TWP — State police have a beef with a door-to-door steak salesman.

The mobile meat merchant, Joshua Lee Ferrell, 34, of Pittsburgh, is accused of placing fraudulent charges on the credit card bill of a Winfield Township customer.

But when troopers tried to grill the suspect, he would not answer their telephone call.

Police said Ferrell was selling steaks out of his truck on Dec. 29 when he showed up at a home in the 300 block of Saxonburg Boulevard. The man who lives there made a purchase of $265.

Investigators believe the defendant was acting as a private contractor for a company that offers meat sale house calls.

On Jan. 5, the victim checked his bank statement and noticed an unauthorized charge of $159 from the company. Ten days later, there was yet another unauthorized charge of $223.37.

Police were unable to contact Ferrell. But investigators Jan. 19 reached the company owner, who admitted that the suspect “must have reused the victim’s credit card number for the two (fraudulent) charges,” documents said.

Ferrell is charged with two misdemeanor counts each of theft and access device fraud.