Report of Fairfield couple donning stolen ATV gear results in burglary arrests, troopers say

Paul Peirce | Monday, August 16, 2021 2:15 p.m.

Metro Creative

A Fairfield couple recently spotted aboard an all-terrain vehicle while wearing a particular brand of ATV gear that was reported stolen last spring, were questioned and subsequently arrested for burglarizing two area homes.

Aaron J. Wisner, 33, and Kayla M. Hritz, 29, were arraigned on two counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property in connection with two break-ins last March 19 and April 4 of two homes in rural St. Clair Township. Wisner also is charged with illegal possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

The couple is accused of stealing multiple firearms, including a CZ 453 bolt-action rifle with a scope and stand, a .50 caliber rifle with a scope and a .22 caliber rifle; multiple tools, including chainsaws and roof nail gun; and two specialized Bell brand ATV helmets.

This month, Trooper Trey Parsley said investigators received information that the couple was seen aboard Wisner’s ATV “wearing the stolen helmets.”

On Aug. 4, Trooper James McKenzie and Parsley interviewed the couple, who admitted to committing both burglaries. The losses in both thefts exceeded $4,000, according to police reports.

The stolen firearms and most of tools were recovered, Parsley reported. Wisner told investigators he ‘intended to keep the firearms for himself,” Parsley wrote in court documents.

In 2019, Wisner pleaded guilty in Indiana County to a felony charge of delivery, manufacturing and possession of a controlled substance and he was sentenced to serve between six months and one year plus 364 days in the county jail.

Hritz pleaded guilty to an identical charge in the same incident and was sentenced to serve two years probation.

According to news reports, state police were called Jan. 19, 2019, to the Walmart in Burrell Township for a retail theft investigation and alleged in court documents that Wisner had the makings of a methamphetamine lab inside his car. Hritz was with Wisner during the incident and also charged, according to police reports.

Felony complaints of operating a methamphetamine laboratory were dropped against the pair couple in the 2019 plea agreements in Indiana County, according to online court dockets.

Due to the 2019 felony conviction, it is illegal for Wisner to possess firearms in his home, troopers said in court documents.

Wisner was released from the county prison Friday after posting $25,000 bond from a bail bondsman. Hritz was released on unsecured bond after her arraignment.