Four Erie residents are facing felony theft charges in Mercer County after Pennsylvania State Police troopers accused them of taking a large amount of merchandise from stores at the Grove City Premium Outlets and possibly other locations.<\/p>\n
Charged July 20 with third-degree felony counts of retail theft and receiving stolen property in the state police investigation are Rayshard T.L Johnson, 22; Julia M. Soto, 32; Jaron D. Johnson, 29; and Aryel M. Crosby, 26, according to state police in Mercer. <\/p>\n
The four were arraigned in Mercer County July 22, with bond set at $200,000 for Rayshard Johnson, $50,000 for Soto and Jaron Johnson, and $5,000 for Crosby, according to information in their criminal docket sheets. Soto and the Johnsons were still listed as being in the Mercer County Prison July 23, according to online prison records.<\/p>\n
The preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled for July 30. Lawyers for the four were not listed on their docket sheets July 23.<\/p>\n
What are they accused of?<\/p>\n
Troopers accuse the four of taking more than $1,800 worth of merchandise from four stores at Grove City Premium Outlets on July 20. <\/p>\n
According to information in the criminal complaint against Rayshard Johnson, troopers were called to the retail complex off Interstate 79 at about 4:50 p.m. July 20 after it was reported that four people stole merchandise from an Old Navy store there. Police were given descriptions of the suspects along with a description and the license plate of a vehicle they were seen leaving in, investigators wrote in the complaint’s affidavit of probable cause.<\/p>\n
More: New York pair sentenced in Erie County in Bath & Body Works theft spree<\/a><\/p>\n State police began searching the area for the suspects and eventually located the vehicle traveling north on I-79. Police stopped the vehicle for a suspended registration and identified the occupants, who said they did not purchase anything from the outlet mall and did not have any valid receipts, according to information in the affidavit.<\/p>\n The vehicle’s owner gave police consent to search it, and during the search multiple items of clothing, makeup and perfume were found, all with price tags on them, investigators wrote. State police said they determined the merchandise came from multiple department stores, with some of the merchandise coming from four stores at the Grove City Premium Outlets and other merchandise was determined to be from other locations, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n The value of the items reportedly taken from the four outlets stores was listed in the affidavit as $1,838.05. State police did not list the value of the other recovered items, believed to have been stolen from other stores, in the affidavit.<\/p>\n Contact Tim Hahn at\u00a0thahn@usatodayco.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n