PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT) – A report of a missing wallet led to theft and drug charges for a Punxsutawney man.
Court documents indicate the Punxsutawney Borough Police filed criminal charges against 55-year-old Steven M. Brown.
According to a criminal complaint, on January 12, a known victim reported her wallet had been stolen.
The victim told police she went to the Shop N Save store in Punxsutawney on January 11 and accidentally left her wallet in her cart when she left the store. When she realized she’d left the wallet behind, she called the store. The store was then able to find video footage of a man finding the wallet in the cart and putting it in his cart.
According to police, the man was later identified as Steven Brown.
Police then went to Brown’s residence to speak to him.
The complaint notes that at Brown’s residence, officers immediately noted an odor of burnt marijuana.
According to the complaint, when questioned about the incident, Brown admitted he found the wallet and said he was going to turn it in, but hadn’t done so. He was then advised he was under arrest for the theft of the wallet.
Brown was then questioned about whether or not he had a medical card for marijuana because of the smell noted by officers. Brown admitted he did not have a medical card and turned over a metal smoking pipe with marijuana residue as well as a bag of marijuana to police.
After being further interviewed about the wallet, Brown agreed to show the police what he had done with it. According to the complaint, he said he placed it in the dumpster at a restaurant in Brookville. Police searched the dumpster but were unable to locate the wallet, and an employee at the restaurant told police the dumpster contents had been picked up to be transported to a landfill earlier that morning.
The complaint notes when Brown was questioned about the wallet, he said he saw it in the cart, took it, and placed it in his jacket. Then when he later discovered there was no cash in the wallet, he threw it in a dumpster.
The following charges were filed against Brown through Magisterial District Judge Jacqueline J. Mizerock’s office on January 18:
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 3
– Marijuana-Small Amount Personal Use, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on March 4, with Judge Mizerock presiding.
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