JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – A Punxsutawney man who was allegedly caught using stolen credit card accounts at a local store waived his hearing in court on Tuesday.
Court documents indicate the following charges against 20-year-old Michael McWhite Jr. were waived for court on June 8:
– Identity Theft, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)
– Access Device Issued to Another Who Did Not Authorize Use, Misdemeanor 1 (six counts)
– Retail Theft-Take Merchandise, Misdemeanor 1
– False Identification to Law Enforcement, Misdemeanor 3
The charges have been transferred to the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas.
McWhite remains free on $5,000.00 unsecured bail.
The charges stem from an investigation into a report of fraudulent use of a credit card last fall.
According to a criminal complaint, on October 9, 2020, an employee from the Walmart store in Punxsutawney contacted Punxsutawney-based State Police to report that an individual had purchased items earlier in the morning fraudulently with a second individual’s credit cards. The second individual then called Walmart to report the fraud.
The items purchased included analog caps and action grips for a Playstation 4, a DualShock Playstation 4 controller, a Fujifilm camera, a car dash phone mount, and a storage container, all totaling $150.00 of merchandise, the complaint indicates.
Video surveillance was then pulled from the store, and the vehicle which picked up the suspect and the items was identified as a white crossover SUV.
The complaint states the same individual then attempted to purchase multiple other items over four separate transactions; however, the sales were canceled.
Police then arrived at the scene while the suspect was attempting to pick up a fraudulent order for an Apple Watch and a Diet Mountain Dew and located the suspect a short time later in a white crossover SUV.
The suspect was detained, and he initially gave a false identity before being positively identified as Michael McWhite, the complaint notes.
When questioned, McWhite told police he used a website to purchase individuals’ passwords for various online accounts, including Walmart accounts, then used their accounts and credit cards to make purchases, according to the complaint.
The complaint states that McWhite reportedly attempted to use multiple individuals’ accounts.
The charges were filed against McWhite through Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office on March 16.
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