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Women accused in pair of thefts
Source:
Butler Eagle
Written by:
Jim Smith
Published:
March 3, 2010
CRANBERRY TWP — A pair of Allegheny County women are accused of stealing a purse and wallet from two township businesses and racking up more than $4,000 in fraudulent credit card purchases.
The suspected criminal duo used distraction and cunning to make off with the property from their owners — both store employees, Cranberry police said.
Police Feb. 22 charged Sonya R. Adams, 41, and Tonya R. Herring, 40, both of East Pittsburgh, with eight felony charges in the suspected scheme last year.
The women are charged with two counts each of theft, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and access device fraud.
The police investigation began May 20 when Lisa Matousek, an employee at Learning Express Toys, discovered her purse stolen from the Route 19 store.
She remembered the suspects who entered the store and "diverted the attention of employees with loud behavior," a police affidavit said.
Some time after the pair left, Matousek realized her purse was gone from the front counter. She called police.
But the alleged thieves had already used Matousek's credit cards in a two-hour span at four stores in the township. In all, the purchases totaled $1,737.44.
Cranberry police on Aug. 21 were notified of a similar case at Cold Water Creek, where employee Kathryn Kobet reported her wallet stolen from the Route 19 business.
The wallet was in a purse she kept in the store's locker room.
Kobet recalled two women were in the store earlier that day and could have sneaked into the locker area, police said.
She immediately called police and notified her credit card providers, but it was still too late; three of her cards had been used to make $2,282.42 in fraudulent purchases at three stores in the township.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the stores in both cases, documents said, and eventually identified Adams as one of the suspects.
Detectives spoke with Adams, who allegedly admitted to her role in the thefts and also implicated Herring. Police said they later questioned Herring and she also confessed.
Authorities said both defendants would be arraigned later.
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