Thief of the week: Jan. 22-27

This week's TOTW has yet to be charged, but the suspect made a big haul during the holiday season.

• THEFT: About $30,000 in cash and merchandise
• WHEN TAKEN: During November and December
• WHERE TAKEN: A store in the Berkshire Mall, in the 1600 block of State Hill Road in Wyomissing
• HOW: Taking over a franchise for two months, with access to the store's inventory and books
• SUSPECT: A woman whom the store's owner mistakenly trusted
• PUNISHMENT: None yet. No charges have been filed. The store's owner called police Jan. 19.
• POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES: Theft charges for the suspect; a general mistrust of humanity.

Agree? Disagree? Have a better crime in mind? Leave a comment or shoot an email to boroughblue@boroughblue.com.

Stereo test gets too loud for neighbors

West Reading residents called police about 5:10 p.m. Jan. 22 in the 100 block of South Sixth Avenue after hearing a car stereo that was way too loud. Officers told the man who owned the car that people were complaining. He explained that the stereo was new, and he was just testing it. Police were not sympathetic; they told him to turn the music down.

Vandal smashes windshield in Wyomissing

A man called Wyomissing police about 6 p.m. Jan. 20 after discovering someone kicked in the windshield of his car parked in the 1400 block of Garfield Avenue. How do police know the vandal used his or her foot? The vandal left footprints and small dents in the hood of the vehicle. Police tried to lift the shoe impressions on the hood, "without much success," according to the police report.

Thief steals muffler from car parked in mall lot in Wyomissing

A woman returned to her car about 7 p.m. Jan. 17 in the parking lot of the Berkshire Mall, in the 1600 block of State Hill Road in Wyomissing, to discover it was now missing a muffler. Thieves sawed the muffler from her car sometime between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. that day. Two days later, she called borough police.

Snowfall leads to noise complaints in West Reading

Most West Reading residents awoke the morning of Saturday, Jan. 21 to the idyllic serenity of four inches of fresh-fallen snow. The serenity didn't last the whole day, prompting a couple of noise complaints to police.

• At 2:17 a.m., a resident called police to complain about a vehicle revving its engine and spinning its tires in the 700 block of Reading Avenue. The driver managed to liberate the car, because by the time police arrived a few minutes later, the vehicle was gone.
• A man waited until about 10 p.m. to clear his sidewalk in the 200 block of Silk Way with a snowblower. He had finished by the time police arrived.

Wyomissing police investigate $30,000 theft from store

The biggest news in the Borough Blue coverage area is, of course, a fatal shooting in Cumru Township near the Bertolet Fishing Dock in West Reading.

The Reading Eagle has full coverage of that developing story. Meanwhile, let's get back to much less significant misdeeds, like this business owner who discovered he'd been ripped off:

The owner of a business in the Berkshire Mall left his store in the hands of another franchiser/owner for November and December. During those two months she took all of the inventory, withdrew cash from the business' bank account and kept all the profits. The trusting owner estimates he lost about $30,000. He called Wyomissing police Jan. 19 after discovering the loss.

Tip: Real callers from Publishers Clearing House probably don't make threats

A Wyomissing man got a call about 4 p.m. Jan. 19 at his home in the 900 block of Woodland Road from a man claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House. The caller lost all credibility when he threatened to shoot the man. The resident called police, who traced the caller's location to Jamaica.

Denver couple charged in late December theft at Berkshire Mall

Two people stole several items about 1:03 p.m. Dec. 29 from stores in the Berkshire Mall, in the 1600 block of State Hill Road in Wyomissing, and fled in a maroon vehicle. Borough police tracked them down and on Jan. 23, they charged the suspects, a 38-year-old man and a woman, both from Denver, Pa., with retail theft, receiving stolen property and two counts each of conspiracy. Both face an arraignment at the end of February.

Friends get each other in trouble with West Reading police

A man called West Reading police after an argument he had about 5 p.m. Jan. 17 in the 100 block of Tulpehocken Avenue, over his friend's driving habits. He wanted his friend cited for reckless driving. The driver, meanwhile, told officers that his friend punched him. Police continue to investigate.

Garages broken into in Wyomissing

Sometime between the evening of Jan. 17 and the morning of Jan. 18, someone walked into an open garage in the 1300 block of Reading Boulevard. The thief or thieves took several items from the garage, a refrigerator and one of the vehicles parked inside. A purse containing an iPhone, several credit cards, a passport and $40 cash was stolen.

Two blocks away, in the 1100 block of Reading Boulevard, a resident discovered the same theft happened in her unlocked garage, also between the night of Jan. 17 and the morning of Jan. 18. This time the thieves took cash, a GPS device and two mah jongg sets.

Shoplifters keep police busy at Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing

Wyomissing police responded to three calls of shoplifting within about two hours in the evening of Jan. 16 at the Berkshire Mall, in the 1600 block of State Hill Road in the borough.

• About 7:38 p.m., a boy stole $8 worth of earrings at a store in the mall, hiding the jewelry in his boots. He became hostile to police, who detained him until his mother could come pick the boy up. Police recovered the earrings. Store employees decided not to press charges, opting instead to handle it privately.
• A short time, later, about 8 p.m., mall security had two people in custody for shoplifting from several stores. One was a girl, who also had drug paraphernalia on her, and the other a woman. Police cited the woman for retail theft. The girl faces charges of retail theft and possessing drug paraphernalia.
• About 9:03 p.m. a fourth suspect was caught at a store in the mall, stealing $40 in merchandise. Employees said the store will handle it privately.

Thief of the week, Jan. 15-21

I had a tough time selecting this week's thief of the week -- until Thursday, that is, when men behaving badly became the theme of the day. Then it was easy pickings. So here is the latest Thief of the Week.

• THEFT: The labors of a bar staff
• WHEN TAKEN: Evening of Jan. 10
• WHERE TAKEN: A restaurant in the 900 block of Hill Avenue in Wyomissing
• HOW: Walking out of the restaurant without paying
• SUSPECT: A married couple
• PUNISHMENT: A self-imposed citation for the husband, and his wife
• POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES: Getting blackballed from a restaurant, paying more (hopefully) in court fees than any bar bill might have been.

Agree? Disagree? Have a better crime in mind? Leave a comment or shoot an email to boroughblue@boroughblue.com.