Two women charged with burglary in Charleroi
Two women were arrested and charged with allegedly burglarizing a Charleroi home earlier this week.
Virginia Richie, 27, of Belle Vernon and Rebecca Hill, 38, of Daisytown were charged after they were observed by a witness allegedly carrying televisions out of a residence along Lookout Avenue around 1:40 p.m. Feb. 13.
The witness took photos of the women with his cellphone and took the license plate number of the white Buick, which was registered to Richie.
Charleroi Regional Police briefly saw the vehicle en route to the scene, but after getting a description of the vehicle, the Buick was not found until they saw it parked and empty along Meadow Avenue.
Another officer spoke to the witness and texted the photo of the two women to the officer along Meadow Avenue.
While the K9 unit was dispatched along Lookout Avenue to track the suspects, the officer near the Buick spotted two women walking south on Meadow Avenue and positively identified them as the women in the photo.
When questioned by the officer, Hill told him they were at Lookout Avenue at the request of a woman named Shan to pick up two televisions out of the house.
Richie told the officer that Hill called her to help her move two televisions from a home to take to a pawn shop.
Richie added that they then went to Hill’s home where she called the pawn shop and spoke to an employee there about bringing down two televisions.
When they exited Hill’s house, Richie told the officer they saw the police car and decided to grab Hill’s dog and pretend they were walking the dog and that the two televisions were in her trunk, which they were.
Richie was asked to drive to the police station with the televisions after Hill was placed in handcuffs and transported to the station.
While en route to the station, Hill told police that Richie had called her to set up the deal.
At the police station, officers questioned Richie, who admitted she knew she was going into a house that was not either hers nor Hill’s to take the televisions.
Both women were charged with burglary, criminal trespass, receiving stolen property and two counts of theft by unlawful taking before Magisterial District Judge Larry Hopkins.
A summons has been issued for both women to appear for a scheduled preliminary hearing before Hopkins at 9 a.m. March 15.