Man Charged with Crime Spree at South Hills Village

A man from Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood faces charges from three police departments after multiple thefts reported at South Hills Village Mall on May 31 led to his arrest, according to court documents.

Bradley Jon Palmer, 29, of Birtley Avenue, is in the Allegheny County Jail after Pittsburgh police stopped Palmer's vehicle for traffic offenses that night and found a number of electronics in his possession that were reported stolen from the Village's Apple and Target stores, as well as nine pairs of women's underwear with security tags still on them.

Bethel Park police are charging Palmer with retail theft after Apple employees reported that an iPad was stolen from their store between 2 and 2:30 p.m that day. The device was one that the employees frequently handled themselves in order to conduct business.

Upper St. Clair Township police are charging Palmer with criminal mischief and theft by unlawful taking after Target employees reported at around 8 that night that keys to one of their store's display cases were taken sometime that day in order to remove five iPads from the case.

The Target theft was caught on surveillance video, and later that night, when Pittsburgh police stopped Palmer, he matched the description from the tape, according to court documents.

On Tuesday, district Judge Robert C. Wyda granted the withdrawal of the theft by unlawful taking charge, but the mischief and retail theft charges were waived for Allegheny County Court, where Palmer is scheduled for an Aug. 2 arraignment.

Palmer must still face Pittsburgh police charges of resisting arrest, escape, terroristic threats, receiving stolen property and prohibited offensive weapons at a July 23 preliminary hearing.