Erie man charged with returning to Frazer Walmart to steal 2nd big-screen TV
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Frazer police charged an Erie County man with multiple felonies after, they say, he stole a large flat-panel TV from a Walmart store and then returned several weeks later and stole another one.
Joseph Arciuolo, 35, of Millcreek Township, faces one count of burglary and two counts each of receiving stolen property and retail theft in connection with incidents on Aug. 24 and Sept. 10 at the Walmart at the Pittsburgh Mills mall, according to the criminal complaint filed on the incidents.
Arciuolo faces a preliminary hearing on the charges before District Judge David J. Sosovicka on Jan. 31.
The store’s loss prevention department reported to police that a man driving a white Chevy van was seen on security video entering the store on Aug. 24 and then walking out with a 58-inch Hisense TV valued at $398, the complaint said.
Police said they were able to identify the license plate on the van and learned that it was reported stolen from a man in Pittsburgh.
Walmart store security called Frazer police again on Sept. 10 after a man entered the store and headed to the clothing department, where he put on a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and a pair of boots, the complaint said.
Security officers said the man was then seen pushing a 50-inch TV to a white van after forcing the doors open in the store’s lawn and garden section to leave, the complaint said.
The man went back into the store after loading the TV into his vehicle and then came back out with a lawnmower and some clothing before driving off, police said. The items are valued at $833.
Police said the van used in the second incident was reported stolen from Colker Janitorial Supplies in Pittsburgh.
Images of the suspect taken from surveillance video were used to identify Arciuolo by comparing them to state driver’s license photos, police said.
Court records show that Arciuolo is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 3 before Squirrel Hill District Judge James J. Hanley Jr. for felony theft and receiving stolen property charges filed by Pittsburgh police on Aug. 30.
He also is scheduled to appear in Pittsburgh Municipal Court on Feb. 9 for a felony retail theft charge filed on Aug. 22 by Pittsburgh police.
In addition, Arciuolo was ordered to stand trial in Erie County on felony burglary and theft charges filed by Millcreek police on Oct. 6, according to court records.
Arciuolo is being detained in the Clinton County Correctional Facility after failing to post a $50,000 cash bond, court records show.
He was jailed after his Sept. 14 arrest by state police in Clinton County. They charged him with felony counts of receiving stolen property and fleeing from police along with 10 other related charges, according to court records.