Three suspects facing charges following alleged theft of tools
Three Greene County suspects are each facing felony counts of theft following their alleged involvement in an incident last December where a truck was broken into and tools were stolen.
Vincent P. Kozlowski, 35, of Nemacolin, and Jamie A. Carter, 45, and Glen E. Miller, 44, both of Carmichaels, are each facing two counts of theft following an incident that occurred sometime between Dec. 3 and 21 on an off-roadway near Interstate 79 in Washington Township.
The charges were filed by state police on Feb. 17.
According to the criminal complaints filed before Magisterial District Judge David Balint:
Fred Stritzinger reported to police that his box truck was broken into and tools were stolen while it was parked near the roadway off state Route 21. Stritzinger said he later learned that Kozlowski was trying to sell some of stolen tools on Facebook and went to the location where the sale was to take place.
Stritzinger said he observed several of the stolen items in the truck Kozlowski arrived in, and said the suspect told him other items that were “probably stolen” were in his garage in Nemacolin. Police were then contacted and met Kozlowski and Stritzinger at the garage.
Police placed Kozlowski in custody and recovered some of the stolen items, and when they interviewed Kozlowski, he said he was contacted by Miller around Dec. 4 and was told to bring a tarp and his Jeep to a pull-off near the Ruff Creek General Store, adding that he and Carter were already there.
Kozlowski said Miller got into his vehicle and they began planning on how Miller and Carter would go grab some items across the street and how Kozlowski would be notified when they were ready so he could pull his Jeep up to the site. Kozlowski then told police he saw Miller and Carter walk across the street but he did not want to stay so he backed off and left without taking any items.
He then reported that Miller brought the items to his garage in Nemacolin the following day, and Miller and Carter were both at his residence bringing items there. He also told police he agreed that the items was selling on Facebook were “probably stolen,” police said.
Police interviewed Miller in January, who reported that he went to the scene of the theft with Carter in Carter’s vehicle, at which point they broke into Stritzenger’s truck and began removing tools, placing them in buckets next to a log near the truck. He said he then suddenly left because it was daylight and he thought someone would see them.
Miller then said he later received a call from Carter, who said he had the items and he was at another location, at which point Miller drove there and saw the stolen tools. Police later interviewed Carter, who initially reported that he did not know anything about the theft but later admitted he knew where the items were but was not involved in the theft.
As of press time, the three suspects had not yet been arraigned on the charges.