Brother Framed in South Hills Village Theft Case

More than a month after his first scheduled preliminary hearing, the man accused of stealing a wrench and a watch from the Sears faced .

In October, the man who police believed to have stolen the $100 worth of goods insisted to the judge that he was not the right suspect, even though he had the same name and personal information given to Sears Loss Prevention employees.

The judge and a constable decided to ask one of the employees to text a picture of the suspect arrested, which is kept in the Sears Loss Prevention files. The picture was not of the man standing in front of the judge; it was his brother.

Constables eventually arrested Anthony James Thomas Jr. while he was on his way to another preliminary hearing in downtown Pittsburgh. A constable said officers had to point Tasers at his chest in order for him to comply to the arrest.

In addition to the theft charge, Thomas is facing one count of simple assault and one count of attempted criminal assault for attempting to hit an employee with a wrench.

"I've apologized to my brother," Thomas told the judge on Monday.

District Judge Wyda sent Thomas to the Allegheny County Jail and ordered a $10,000 straight bond. His next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5.

Continued
The hearing was continued for six months for for hours on Oct. 18.

During that time, Rhoda Hughes, 75, of Bethel Park, is to have no guns and no negative police contact. She was forced to move out of her home.

"I meant no harm," Hughes told district Judge Wyda on Monday.

Plea Deal
Stephen W. Horniacek, 43, of 168 Brinker Road, Butler, PA 16002 followed through on a plea deal made in October by paying full restitution to the defendants and pleading guilty to a summary criminal mischief count.

According to , homeowners on Lorlita Lane on March 17 paid Horniacek, of Horniacek Contracting, $4,500 for the first installment of a siding job his company was to complete. Police said the check was deposited on the same day it was written into Horniacek's personal account.

Police said months went by with no work done and no contact from Horniacek. The victims filed a police report on July 27. Police told Horniacek on July 29 the customers wanted a full refund.

As part of the agreement, Horniacek paid the full $4,500 back to the customers at his hearing Monday. It was also discovered on Monday that there were eight separate and similar cases filed against Horniacek with pending charges.

However, Horniacek said his 20-employee company was simply "behind schedule because of the weather."

The Better Business Bureau revoked Horniacek Contracting of accreditation in 2008.

Postponed
Robert A. Woeber, Jr., 50, of 410 Hays Road, Venetia, PA 15367 is charged with one count of careless driving, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance and an additional count of driving under the influence for having a high rate of alcohol in his system.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the Upper St. Clair police, Woeber was driving west on Bethel Church Road on Oct. 19 when he crashed into a guardrail, a retaining wall and ended up striking a portion of a house.

Police stated Woeber told them he had swerved to avoid an animal, but his blood alcohol content was .134 percent in the first test and .137 percent in the second test. The legal level of alcohol in Pennsylvania is .08 percent.

Warrant Issued
District Judge Wyda issued a local warrant for the arrest of Erica Dagmar Sandwall, 35, of 2726 Mesta Street, Bethel Park, PA 15102, for failing to appear at her preliminary hearing on Monday, Nov. 28.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the Upper St. Clair police, Sears Loss Prevention employees found that Sandwall stole a cell phone flash card and bottle of SodaStream concentrate from the South Hills Village Sears on Aug. 20. Police stated Sandwall had been arrested and convicted of retail theft three other times in recent past.