Police arrested four people early Wednesday during an attempted break‑in at a Spring Township convenience store, part of a broader investigation into a burglary ring accused of recently stealing six Pennsylvania Skill game machines from four Berks County businesses.
Wyomissing detectives said the burglaries occurred between Aug. 27 and Tuesday. The machines, valued at about $3,000 each, contained a combined $45,422 in cash.
On Wednesday about 2:30 a.m., during a coordinated stakeout by state and local police, two men were seen prying open the front door of the Sunoco A Plus, 3100 State Hill Road, investigators said.
The suspects — Adonis Orta Rivera, 41, and Luis Miranda, 29, both of Reading — were taken into custody at the scene.
Officers also detained two people in a nearby parked SUV believed to be serving as lookouts: Daniel Velez, 43, and Tytoya Rowles, 46, both of Reading.
All four were interviewed and later arraigned before District Judge Ann L. Young in Reading Central Court.
Orta Rivera, Miranda and Velez were each charged with six counts of conspiracy to commit burglary. Bail for each was set at $50,000. Court records show Velez posted bail, while Rivera and Miranda were committed to Berks County Jail.
Rowles was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail.
According to the probable cause affidavit:
On Aug. 27 about 11:30 p.m., Wyomissing police responded to Kwik Stop, 1912 State Hill Road, for a burglar alarm. Officers discovered the front door had been forced open and a Pennsylvania Skill machine stolen had been stolen.
Detective Joseph Klatt later identified several similar burglaries:
• Shillington Laundromat, Shillington: Sept. 8 about 10 p.m.; two machines taken.
• SuperSuds Laundromat, Reading: Sept. 13 at 3 a.m.; one machine taken.
• Food Mart, Fleetwood: Sept. 17 about 2:30 a.m.; two machines broken into.
• Albright Laundromat, Reading: Monday about 4 a.m.; two machines taken, one recovered nearby.
• Mari’s Six Pac N Mor, Reading: Tuesday shortly before 2 a.m.; suspects fled empty‑handed after hearing the alarm.
Investigators said the stolen machines contained as much as $15,500 each.
Velez, identified by co‑defendants as the ringleader, allegedly targeted machines he believed were full of cash based on his experience gambling on specific skill games.
Rivera told investigators that Velez paid him $2,000 for each successful burglary.
Rowles said she was paid in cash and cocaine for the use of her SUV and also acted as an additional lookout in another vehicle.
Berks County District John T. Adams has lamented the proliferation of the machines in corner stores and laundries, saying they are magnets for crime.
Without security requirements and regulation, these skill games will continue to attract criminals in search of easy money, he wrote in a 2024 opinion piece.
He and other county prosecutors cheered a June decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that ruled skill games are slot machines. The justices also gave a 120-day deadline, for businesses to remove the machines, which are now considered illegal, or for the state Legislature to update the Gaming Act and Crimes Code to carve out exceptions for skill games. The deadline is Oct. 13.