Beaver County man accused of vehicle theft, related charges after breaking into Penn Township home, police say
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A Beaver County man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond after he was arrested on charges of breaking into a Penn Township home early Friday, according to court documents.
Nicholas J. Wooddell, 30, of Aliquippa, was arraigned on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, and driving on a DUI suspended license and two counts each of theft and receiving stolen property after he was taken into custody at the Sheetz in Murrysville, according to court documents.
In addition to stealing a 2018 GMC sport utility vehicle from the driveway of a Remaley Road residence, Wooddell was charged with stealing a female acquaintance’s cell telephone earlier in the morning, police said.
Early Friday, police said they received a report of the SUV being taken from the driveway after someone broke through a locked door to acquire the keys while the family slept. During the investigation, police reported they observed foot prints in the dew on the grass leading from the victim’s residence to another nearby home.
A woman at that home reported that Wooddell had taken her cell phone, according to police.
Det. Brad Buchsbaum said, while officers were investigating, they received information that Wooddell was at the Sheetz along Route 22 in Murrysville, where he was taken into custody.
Security video obtained from the store showed Wooddell attempting to cover up the vehicle theft before officers arrived by throwing the vehicle’s keys into a trash can outside the store after he exited the stolen vehicle, according to court documents.
Buchsbaum also reported that Wooddell gave the stolen cell phone to a store worker and “asked them to return it” to the victim when she arrived and asked for it.
Due to Wooddell’s criminal record dating back to 2009 plus his failure to provide court officials with a current permanent address, senior District Judge Herb Mitchell Jr. declined to set a bond, according to court records.
According to online court dockets, in 2016 Wooddell pleaded guilty in Beaver County to multiple criminal complaints of forgery and receiving stolen property filed by Hopewell police and was sentenced to serve a 1-to-2 year sentence and, in 2014, he was given a probation sentence after pleading guilty to delivery, manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance in Midland, also in Beaver County.
In 2010, he was sentenced to serve 123 days to 23 months plus 15 days in jail after pleading guilty to reckless endangerment and resisting arrest after a 2009 traffic stop also in Hopewell, according to online court dockets.