A man with no fewer than 21 felony-burglary convictions allegedly struck two Butler Township car washes in a single day.

The Butler Township Police Department on Monday filed multiple burglary-related felony charges and an arrest warrant for Stephen M. Rausch, 37, of Jackson Township, who also has drawn interest from other local departments for similar reasons.

Rausch has yet to be taken into custody as of Tuesday afternoon.

According to charging documents, police began their investigation after receiving a call around 8 a.m. Jan. 24, hours after an early morning incident at Ritenour Car Wash on Evans City Road.

Police said they found damage to one of the wash bays and that the money machine was missing. Video surveillance footage showed a man, later identified as Rausch, at 6:05 a.m. pull into the bay in a 2011 Toyota Rav4, police said.According to documents, Rausch allegedly first tried to break the machine apart, using a grinder and a hammer.“Rausch then is able to remove the money machine from the self-serve bay No. 4, and places it into the vehicle,” documents said.The report said the car wash owner valued the machine at $5,000, and there was about $100 inside of it. The incident involved about $15,000 worth of damage, according to the owner.At 11:55 p.m. Jan. 24, Rausch allegedly burglarized Morgan's Car Wash on New Castle Road, according to documents.Police again viewed video footage of the incident, this time showing a woman driving a tan 2005 Mazda MPV into the car wash.“Rausch is viewed exiting the vehicle and breaking into the utility box,” documents said.Zelienople Police officers assisted in the investigation, including the identification of the vehicles. According to documents, a Zelienople officer spotted both the Rav4 and the MPV parked in the driveway of Rausch's home on Magill Road.Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller confirmed his department was looking into Rausch's activities for similar offenses.Jackson Township police are also interested in Rausch after he ran from officers at a traffic stop, according to Jackson Township Police Chief Terry Seilhamer.“We're investigating his possible involvement in recent thefts in Jackson Township,” Seilhamer said.According to Seilhamer, township officers initiated a traffic stop shortly after midnight Saturday. The department did not have an arrest warrant for Rausch at the time, but as the vehicles came to a stop, he allegedly ran from the vehicle.Seilhamer said because of his suspicious behavior, officers used a K-9 unit to search for Rausch, but stopped after following a trail for about two miles through a wooded area.Rausch faces felony charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, theft and receiving stolen property, as well as three misdemeanor charges.Rausch has served time for his slew of convictions, and according to state parole records, Rausch was released from state incarceration in April 2020.In 2011, he was connected to the theft of several backpack blowers that were stolen from a Cranberry Township business and were valued at $2,000, according to police.According to the arresting documents, Rausch arranged to sell the blowers and a revolver to a police informant. The revolver was connected to a burglary of a home in Beaver County. According to police, he admitted to a dozen daylight burglaries at residences across Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties.<i>Staff writer Eric Jankiewicz contributed to this report.</i>

Stephen M. Rausch