A Tyrone woman has turned herself into authorities after borough police conducted an investigation into the theft of approximately $25,000 during a five-and-a-half month period at the Sheetz store in Tyrone.
The woman, 21-year-old Julie Spears of 409 W. 15th Street, was arraigned before District Justice Fred Miller on Monday. According to Tyrone Borough Police Chief Joseph Beachem, the woman gave a store investigator a written statement about her activities while employed at the store.
Beachem said Spears was investigated for incidents which occurred between May 25 and Nov. 8 of this year. Beachem said the woman was no longer employed at the store after that date according to the information in his records.
Police began their investigation into the incidents on Nov. 18 after being contacted by store manager Sherry Miller.
Beachem said Spears allegedly perpetrated the scheme on the store when making a cash sale to a customer.
Beachem could not provide a figure as to how many times Spears allegedly conducted the scheme. However, he said it had to be substantial to arrive at the $25,000 amount estimated to have been taken by the suspect.
Beachem said he had no knowledge if any of the funds had been recovered.
The police criminal complaint said the incident came to light when the store was inventoried and audited and the store was found to be $29,000 short. Electronic journals were reviewed as well as video and it was determined the former cashier had a large number of voids and no sales.
A investigation was conducted by the a loss investigations supervisor for Sheetz, Russell States. It was determined that the suspect would scan items to be purchased by a customer which would bring up the total amount due on the cash register. She would then take the money from the customer and hit the void button on the computerized cash register thus voiding the sale.
The police criminal complaint further explained Spears would remember the amount due and then hit the no sale button which would open the register. She would then place the money in the cash drawer and make change for the customer.
She would then keep track of how much over her drawer would be and later in a shift she would go for change.
For example, according to the affidavit for probable cause, she would take $400 out of the drawer for change then walk out of camera range and pocket $300 and use only $100 for change.
Spears admitted to taking the money during a four month period and provided a statement to investigator States as to how she took the money. She also said she had worked at the Bellwood Sheetz for one day in late October and was able to take $400 during the shift using the scheme.
Police were also provided with electronic journals by the Sheetz store.
The charges against Spears are one count by unlawful taking and one count of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds.
District Justice Miller said her bond was $25,000 unsecured. He also said, as one of her conditions of bail, Spears is not allowed to leave the state of Pennsylvania without court approval.
He said Spears was scheduled for a preliminary hearing next Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 9 a.m.
The Tyrone Sheetz store manager declined to comment on the incident when contacted at the store this morning. Sherry Miller offered a corporate phone number for further information. A message was left at the corporate offices in Altoona and was not returned by press time.
