Police probe theft of donation can for cancer victim
State police were working to identify the person who stole a donation can containing nearly $100 from the counter of Panera Bread in Uniontown Monday morning, money intended for 5-year-old cancer victim, Alexandra Schaney. Trooper Charles M. Morrison with the state police in Uniontown said police have several leads in the case, and are expected to interview members of the suspect’s family who said it may be their local relative who stole the money.
“If he’ll steal from a cancer victim, he’s a threat to everyone in the commonwealth,” Morrison said. “This is one of the most despicable thefts I have ever seen.”
Police were able to nail down a description of the man from a CD surveillance tape, which pictured a clear shot of the man’s face, according to Morrison.
Police described the suspect as a white male in his early 20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing between 150 to 175 pounds, with brown hair, a beard and mustache and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white tennis shoes.
Anyone with information regarding the incident or the identity of the suspect is urged to call Trooper Morrison at 724-439-7111.
Morrison said a suspect matching the same description could also be responsible for the theft of movies and video games from the Movie Gallery, the video rental store located in a plaza next to the popular Matthew Drive restaurant.
Morrison said the if the person accused of the crime is an adult, he could face between a year and a year and a half in prison for the crime.
Donations people gave since the beginning of the month were in the can, which the suspect stuffed under his shirt in an attempt to conceal it.
Panera Bread’s marketing coordinator Keri Harmicar said the restaurant was collecting money for Schaney and her family, and was going to match each dollar donated by restaurant patrons to help pay for the girl’s cancer treatments.
Morrison said there was $80 to $90 in the can. With Panera Bread’s match, that would have equaled $160 to $180 toward the little girl’s cancer treatments.
“We’re just furious that someone could do this and especially to a little girl. The box has her picture on it. It shows whoever done this is very thoughtless and callous. It’s a shame someone would do such a thing.”
Harmicar said the restaurant collects conations for a different charity each month and chose the Alexandra Schaney fund for the month of September.
Alexandra Schaney, formerly of Uniontown, was diagnosed April 26, 2004, with a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma that affects the central nervous system.
Local resident Christine Schaney, known as “Aunt Chrissy” to Alexandra, said her niece lives in Charlotte, N.C., with her parents, but is enduring painful cancer treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a Manhattan hospital world-renown for their work with disease. The chemotherapy didn’t work and the cancer has spread to the little girl’s bone and bone marrow, said Schaney.
The money, used for the little girl’s “outrageous” medical bills, was deposited directly into an account for the cancer fund at PNC Bank, said Schaney.
Schaney said she doesn’t understand how someone could steal the money, noting that her niece’s beautiful, smiling face was pictured on the donation can.
“We want him to pay for what he did,” Schaney said. “And to realize that he may be in this situation one day and need the same help and support that my niece needs.”
Schaney explained that the almost $200 that was stolen from her niece’s cancer fund is a lot in the scheme of things, especially since medical insurance does not pay for the experimental treatments, like that she is currently receiving.
Schaney said she would like to thank those who dropped their hard-earned dollars in the can at Panera Bread. That money would have gone toward a total of $27,000 Schaney has raised from a number of organized fundraisers – from Tupperware parties to strip ticket sales – held since her niece was diagnosed.
“I live 394,000 miles away. I had to do something,” said Schaney. “I couldn’t just dwell on the negative of her cancer. I have to do something on the positive.”
Two huge events are coming up, she said. On Sept. 30, Panera Bread will donate 100 percent of their proceeds to the cancer fund, and a fundraiser will be held at the Herald-Standard at the Woodland Zoo in Farmington on Oct. 2. For advanced tickets, call 724-438-7144.