NEW BETHLEHEM BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — Two local men are facing theft charges for allegedly cashing stolen lottery winnings from a convenience store in New Bethlehem Borough.
Court documents indicate the Southern Clarion County Regional Police Department filed criminal charges against 26-year-old Brenton Todd Doverspike, of Rimersburg, and 29-year-old Lathan Ryan Buzzard, of New Bethlehem.
According to a criminal complaint filed on Wednesday, November 23, in Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller’s office, police were contacted by the manager of a convenience store in New Bethlehem Borough, Clarion County, regarding a theft by one of her employees, identified as Brenton Doverspike.
The complainant provided a written statement detailing the day of October 18.
In the manager’s statement, she explained a customer was in the store around 10:09 a.m. playing one of the skills game. He had won, and the ticket got stuck in the machine, so she unplugged the machine. At the start of Doverspike’s shift, she informed him the machine was unplugged due to a ticket stuck in it.
According to the manager, another employee went to get the ticket out of the machine and realized the ticket was gone.
After watching the store camera video, it was determined that Doverspike had plugged the machine in for a friend named Lathan Buzzard, the complaint states.
After plugging the skills game back in, Buzzard was seen “pushing some buttons until the ticket came out with his ticket, and he handed it over to Doverspike,” according to the complaint.
Doverspike was interviewed at the police station where he later confessed to his involvement in the incident. He admitted cashing the ticket that he knew was not Buzzard’s and gave him the $70.00 worth of winnings, the complaint indicates.
Doverspike stated he “just forgot what the manager had told him about the ticket being stuck in the machine,” the complaint notes.
Buzzard was also interviewed at the police station and agreed to provide a written statement about the incident. After the statement, he was interviewed and asked about the tickets he was paid for by Doverspike, the complaint notes.
According to the complaint, Buzzard attempted to say the ticket came out with his ticket. When questioned about it being time-stamped, he stated he believed so, but “it was not his job.”
Buzzard went on to say Doverspike took the tickets and paid him for both tickets, the complaint notes.
Based on the investigation, Doverspike was told by the manager not to plug the skills game in. Additionally, the video shows Doverspike standing by Buzzard after he had plugged the skills game in and remained there until the tickets were removed from the machine, the complaint states.
It was noted in the complaint that Doverspike knew Buzzard was not the winner based on his presence in the video, along with the ticket being time-stamped.
Doverspike faces the following charge:
– Theft by Unlawful Taking — Movable Property, Misdemeanor 2
Buzzard faces the following charge:
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 2
Preliminary arraignments are scheduled for Thursday, December 8, in front of Judge Miller.
