Morning Roundup: State police looking for suspects in retail thefts
May 18—Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 18, 2023:
State police seek suspects in thefts at Hempfield Marshall's
State police are looking for three women they say were involved in a pair of retail thefts at Marshall's in Hempfield. Police released surveillance images of the suspects Wednesday.
The first theft was reported at 7:50 p.m. April 29. Troopers said a woman took three purses from the store without paying. The merchandise is valued at $309.
The second theft was reported at 3 p.m. May 2. Troopers said two women took $193.92 worth of clothing and home goods from the store.
Anyone with information about their identities is asked to call police at 724-832-3288.
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State police looking for suspect in return scam
State police are trying to identify a man who they said scammed the Hempfield Walmart store out of $114.
The man went to the Greengate Centre store May 10 with shopping bags and Walmart receipts. Police said he selected items on the receipts and put them in the bags, making it appear that he bought them.
He returned the items for cash and after he was confronted by store employees, police said the suspect ran away toward Route 30. Anyone with information on his identity is asked to call police at 724-832-3288.
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Greensburg Police say woman stole cash
Greensburg Police are trying to identify a woman who they said stole cash out of the purse of an elderly shopper at Shop 'n Save on East Pittsburgh Street.
The incident happened at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
Investigators released a surveillance image of the suspect. They did not say how much cash was taken. Anyone with information about her identity is asked to contact city police at 724-834-3800.
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Man arrested in standoff
A man was arrested after an overnight standoff in Indiana Township, according to WPXI.
Police responded to Dennis Drive around 2 a.m. after neighbors reported that the man was outside shooting a gun. He refused to surrender to police. Authorities told the news outlet that they used flash bangs around 4:30 a.m. and the suspect, identified as Eric Braun, 45, came outside. He is in custody and facing charges of terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.
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Water main break in Shaler
A water main break in Shaler was being repaired, according to the Hampton Shaler Water Authority. The break happened on Soose Road. The authority warned that homes and businesses in that area may experience an outage or low pressure until the issue is fixed.
After water service is back to normal, customers may notice discolored water, which the authority said is safe for consumption except for those who have existing health issues.
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Students report threatening phone call
State police boosted their presence at River Valley School District in Indiana County Wednesday after some students reported receiving a threatening phone call from an unknown person, according to Trooper Cliff Greenfield.
Troopers were notified at 9 p.m. Tuesday of the calls during which students said the caller threatened violence against the district in Burrell. Police said they don't believe there was an imminent or ongoing threat to the district.
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Woman arrested on drug charges
An Indiana woman was jailed Wednesday after state police said she intentionally delivered fentanyl and heroin that caused the death of a Homer City man in July 2021.
Sydney M. Horel, 27, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses. Greenfield said Seth Andrew Smith, 30, died of a drug overdose at a home on Sycamore Street. Police reviewed evidence found at the scene and cell phone records. Horel is being held at the Indiana County Jail on $150,000 bail.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
