A concerned citizen may have provided the break police needed to arrest two suspected burglars. According to officers, the unidentified individual alerted authorities after they allegedly heard a man brag about stealing from the till of a local restaurant.
Colin James Snyder, 20, of 230 North Montour St., Montoursville, and Dakota Lee Patchen, 20, of 91 Odell Road, Muncy, have both been charged with felony counts of burglary and criminal trespassing, as well as misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property.
On Sept. 30, Dan Hua Weng, owner of the Family Wok in Montoursville, told police that on Sept. 2 she noticed that someone had stolen money from the cash register, as well as a bag of change. She estimated that about $300 to $400 had been taken from the business.
Police got a break in the case when they received a report from an unidentified local, who said that they had overheard Snyder boasting about entering the Family Wok and taking money from the register, according to court records.
Police followed the tip and interviewed Snyder, who confessed that he and Patchen had taken about $220 from the register, along with a large bag of loose change which was sitting nearby.
According to Snyder, he and Patchen were walking along the street on the evening of Dec. 2, when they noticed that the door of the Family Wok was unlocked.
According to Snyder, the pair entered the business. When they were assured that no one was inside, they explored further. Eventually, they discovered that the key had been left in the register, and proceeded to open the door to the till, according to court records.
On Oct. 31, police also interviewed Patchen, who admitted to removing about $20 worth of change from the business.
Both men waived their preliminary hearings before District Judge Gary Whiteman on Dec. 17. They are both free on $25,000 bail each.
