JENKS TWP., Pa. (EYT) – In a surprising twist behind the walls of SCI Forest, a sergeant’s alleged hunger for ill-gotten snacks and covert checkout maneuvers has landed him on the wrong side of the law.
Court documents indicate that the Central Department of Corrections filed criminal charges against 47-year-old Anthony Allen Andres, of Seneca, in Magisterial District Judge Daniel L. Miller’s office on January 17.
According to the criminal complaint, on September 20, 2023, Agent Douglas S. Hockenberry of the state’s Department of Corrections received a call from an employee of SCI Forest regarding a theft occurring within the facility.
During a follow-up phone call, Agent Hockenberry learned that SCI Sergeant Anthony Andres was not paying for all of the food items he was taking from the prison’s dining hall, known as “Market C,” the complaint states.
The dining hall, the complaint notes, is similar to a convenience store with self-checkout registers.
The prison’s vending company was contacted and asked to pull transactions to compare with surveillance cameras positioned to cover the food items, the complaint indicates.
On September 28, Agent Hockenberry interviewed Andres, reading him his Miranda warnings. Sergeant Andres allegedly admitted that he did not pay for some or all of the items that he selected at Market C, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, Sergeant Andres advised Agent Hockenberry that he and his wife were having money issues since his mother moved out of their house. He stated he purchased a new pickup truck and was now paying for his wife’s vehicle, along with the mortgage.
Sergeant Andres stated his wife does not have full-time employment but sells items she makes on the Internet. He also advised Agent Hockenberry that he had a daughter who was in college, the complaint notes.
According to the complaint, Andres stated that when he was a Corrections Officer, he worked a lot of overtime to be able to pay his bills. He was promoted about one year ago and the overtime at SCI Forest for a sergeant was less than when he worked as a Corrections Officer. He allegedly told Agent Hockenberry that he would pay for one item and then put his fingers over the UPC to make it look like he scanned the item, the complaint states.
During the interview, Sergeant Andres added that he positioned himself so other staff members could not see what he was doing at the Kiosk machine. He said he took items every day and if he worked a double shift, he would take items both times he had meal breaks, the complaint indicates.
Agent Hockenberry advised Sergeant Andres that he would receive free food at work if he ate at the Officer Dining Hall, and he told Agent Hockenberry he would eat at the Officer Dining Hall but wanted different food to snack on while he worked on the blocks. He allegedly stated he would take soda, beef and cheese sticks, chips, and candy items, the complaint continues.
Agent Hockenberry asked Sergeant Andres how much the food items he took without paying for was worth and Sergeant Andres allegedly stated between $2,000 and $3,000, the complaint notes.
A total of 53 videos were found that captured Andres using the self-checkout at Market C between July 27 and September 22, 2023. During that time, Andres is seen taking $203.36 in goods from the market, the complaint states.
According to court records, Andres has a preliminary hearing scheduled at 9:30 a.m. on February 13, on the following charge in front of Judge Miller:
- Retail Theft, Under-ringing, Misdemeanor 1
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