CRANBERRY TWP — Police charged a Beaver County man with stealing $700 from his former Cranberry employer to pay his credit card, cell phone and utility bills.

Robert John Jennings, 27, of Ambridge, is charged with access device fraud, a third-degree felony, and first-degree misdemeanors theft by deception and receiving stolen property after police said he used his former employer's bank account to pay his own bills after being fired.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday by Cranberry Township Police, the owner of Route Step Delivery reported five unauthorized transactions from the business' bank account to police Jan. 5. The unauthorized payments included $144.28 to Capital One, $106.24 to AT&T, $241.19 to Comcast, $120 to Columbia Gas and $60 to Duquesne Light, and were made between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4.

Police received search warrants for the AT&T, Comcast, Columbia and Duquesne accounts, and identified Jennings and his girlfriend as the account owners for each of those accounts, according to the complaint.

Jennings, Det. Justin Hewitt's affidavit states, admitted to police he used a check from the business to access the account numbers, which he then used to initiate Automated Clearing House transactions to pay those bills. Police said Jennings claimed he was upset with Route Step Delivery because they had fired him just before Christmas, and he alleged he did not receive a final paycheck.

The complaint alleges Jennings said his girlfriend had no involvement with the scheme, and he said he reversed the transactions and paid back the money to Route Step.

Jennings remains free on his own recognizance pending a preliminary hearing, scheduled in June.