CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A 21-year-old man is facing theft charges after allegedly stealing personal property from a residence in Clarion Borough.
Court documents indicate the Clarion Borough Police Department filed criminal charges against 21-year-old Joseph Daniel Decrease, of Wheeling, WV, on December 7.
According to a criminal complaint, on September 30, Officer Wright, of the Clarion Borough Police Department, was dispatched to a residence on Grand Avenue for the theft of a laptop and a blue tooth speaker.
Officer Wright responded to the scene and spoke to two known female victims.
According to the complaint, the first victim stated that her Apple MacBook Air, valued at $1,200.00, and a Bluetooth speaker, valued at $150.00, as well as an iPhone charger, were stolen from her apartment.
The victim went on to report that she had met Joey Decrease, who was from Wheeling, West Virginia, on Tinder, a social media app, and that he had come to her apartment on the previous night, September 29.
The first victim advised that she, Decrease, the second victim, and another male friend were the only people at the apartment and noted that the male friend left the apartment at approximately 3:00 a.m., leaving just her, the second victim, and Decrease at the apartment.
The complaint indicates that the first victim told Decrease that he could sleep on the couch downstairs, and Decrease said that he would be up at 8:00 a.m. to leave. The first victim then went upstairs and went to bed.
According to the complaint, the second victim stated that she locked both the front and back door to the residence. The second victims also noted that just before she went upstairs to go to bed, she saw the first victim’s laptop on the coffee table and the first victim’s Bluetooth speaker on the TV stand, both within two feet of the couch Decrease planned to sleep on.
The second victim also reported that when she awakened and went downstairs to see if Decrease had left the apartment, she found that he had left, and the first victim’s laptop and Bluetooth speaker were gone. She noted that she checked and found that both the front and back doors remained locked.
According to the complaint, the first victim attempted to message Decrease on Tinder and discovered that he had deleted her.
Officer Wright obtained a photograph and record of Decrease through dispatch. Both victims positively identified Decrease from the photograph.
The first victim also related that she had found Decrease on Facebook and sent him a message asking if he had locked the doors when he left. Decrease replied that he did lock the doors when he left, and the first victim then told him he needed to contact the Clarion Borough Police in regard to the missing items.
Officer Wright also sent a certified letter to Decrease requesting his cooperation with the investigation.
The complaint notes that Decrease had not contacted the Clarion Borough Police Department as of December 3.
The following charges were filed on Friday, December 7, in Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn’s office:
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1 (two counts)
A preliminary arraignment is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 17, with Judge Quinn presiding.
