Elijah Lane

BUTLER TWP — A companion's apparent sweet tooth proved sour for a Philadelphia man.

The unexpected turn of events Wednesday landed 24-year-old Elijah J. Lane in the Butler County Prison on felony drug charges following a shoplifting call at the Sheetz on New Castle Road.

Butler Township police said they were called to the store around 2:45 p.m. after an employee reportedly saw another man pocket a Butterfinger candy bar.

The employee remembered the same suspected shoplifter, later identified as Steven Dunmire, 25, of Butler, from a similar incident on Dec. 29.

Police believe Dunmire and Lane had driven to the store Wednesday for something to eat.

At the Sheetz, according to court documents, Lane denied he had stolen anything and became “argumentative” with officers while seated in the dining area.

Eventually, the officers learned that Lane was wanted on a bench warrant out of Delaware County. He was arrested and searched.

Police said they found him with a small baggie containing suspected marijuana. He also was carrying $254 in currency.

The defendant was placed in the county prison on the warrant. Police, meanwhile, continued to investigate the alleged shoplifting incident that led them to the Sheetz.

While waiting at the store to review surveillance footage, Patrolman Jonathan Schaffner noticed a plastic baggie under the chair where Lane had earlier been seated.

In the baggie, documents said, were five “individually wrapped baggies of crack cocaine.”

Police allege the crack belonged to Lane since the security video showed that no one had been seated in the chair since he was there.

District Judge Kevin O'Donnell arraigned Lane on a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and possession of a small amount of marijuana.

He is jailed on $25,000 bail.

Police said they plan to charge Dunmire with two separate shoplifting citations.