Man Checking for Warrants Steals Schuylkill Haven Pennsylvania Police Vehicle from Station Lot

By Michael Urban

Source Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.

A man who had just visited the Schuylkill Haven Police Department early Monday morning stole a police vehicle parked next to the station and drove it to Delaware before he was arrested, police said.

A borough police officer left the Ford F-150 pickup truck running in the lot beside the station along the 200 block of Parkway Avenue at about 1:30 a.m., Schuylkill Haven Police Chief Jeffrey Walcott said.

The officer incorrectly thought he had locked the vehicle, and when he returned to the lot from the station, found that the truck was missing, Walcott said.

The vehicle was later found in Wilmington, Delaware, being operated by Richard W. Weiss, 49, of Schuylkill Haven, Walcott said.

Weiss is facing felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, as well as a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, court record show.

Weiss was extradited back to Schuylkill County, Walcott said.

Walcott gave this account:

Weiss is familiar to the department because they have responded to several incidents he caused in the borough related to his mental health issues.

He went to the station to check if there was a warrant for his arrest, which there was not.

As he left, he got into the running police vehicle and drove off, with the events being caught on department security cameras.

After the officer saw that the vehicle had been taken, he sent an alert to other departments to be on the lookout for it.

Later Monday morning, Weiss was stopped by security after driving the vehicle into the Amtrak station lot in Wilmington, where he was held for police.

After Weiss will be processed in Schuylkill County once he is brought back, Walcott said.

Schuylkill Haven officers drove to Wilmington on Monday morning and brought back the vehicle, which was not damaged.

There were department firearms locked inside the vehicle, but Weiss did not try to access them, Walcott said.

It is common for police to leave vehicles running for a variety of reasons, Walcott said, including for cold weather and so officers don’t have to reboot the computer system inside the vehicle when restarting it.

The vehicle is to be locked at those times, though, which it was not when it was taken, Walcott said.

Walcott did not identify the officer who was assigned the vehicle at the time, but said that the matter will be addressed with him internally.

Walcott was out of town Monday when the theft occurred and said he was still gathering information on what exactly Weiss will be charged with.

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