Man has 5th brush with police in 36 hours
A repeat shoplifter is behind bars on charges he stole mouthwash, shoes and food from three stores last week at the Pullman Square shopping plaza in Butler.
City police said Scott D. Walter, 50, of Washington, Pa., was arrested after they found him near the plaza on the 400 block of Pillow Street where they were called Wednesday morning for a man laying on the ground.
Next to Walter, police said, was an empty one-liter bottle of mouthwash and a one-quarter empty one-liter bottle of mouthwash. He appeared to be under the influence.
It was the fifth time in 36 hours, according to police, that officers had “dealt with” the suspect for public intoxication.
He also was wearing a new pair of Adidas shoes, police noted. In two of the prior reports for Walter, officers had found him without shoes.
A Butler Ambulance Service crew was called, and Walter was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital due to his condition.
During their investigation, police said they learned that Walter allegedly stole mouthwash, valued at $8.50, from the Family Dollar and Adidas shoes, valued, at $35, from Gabe's.
Additionally, he is accused of taking nearly $52 in food items from the Save-A-Lot.
Walter was later arraigned on a felony charge of shoplifting, a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and a summary charge of public drunkenness. He was placed in the Butler County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bond following arraignment.
While normally a summary or misdemeanor offense under state law, retail theft is upgraded to a third-degree felony regardless of the stolen property's value when a suspect has at least two prior convictions for the same crime.
Police noted in charging documents that Walter has two prior shoplifting convictions.
His preliminary hearing is set Sept. 21. Online court records did not indicate if he has an attorney.
