Police search for man accused in 2 jewelry thefts in Fayette County

PITTSBURGH — Police are searching for a man who they said is connected with burglaries that date back to 2011.

According to police, there are two arrest warrants out for Timothy Allen McKinney Jr.

The first arrest warrant, obtained by Trooper Daniel Boyd, is related to an incident that took place on Sept. 29, 2011, in which McKinney, 31, and one other male are accused of breaking into a home in Menallen Township.

Once McKinney entered the residence, he took approximately $8,000 worth of jewelry and took it to a jewelry store in the Uniontown mall, police said.

Investigators said McKinney's accomplice, David Wesley Smith, accepted $1,089.00 for the stolen jewelry.

Trooper Nathaniel S. Lieberum obtained the second arrest warrant after an incident on Nov. 16.

This robbery took place in Brownsville, Pa., and involved $100,000 to $120,000 worth of jewelry.

After noticing the jewelry of his late wife was missing, the victim went to Audio Lab in Uniontown in search of his property.

The victim explained his situation to the owner of Audio Lab, Robert P. Kasievich, and asked to be contacted if any of his jewelry was brought to the store.

While speaking with the owner, the victim noticed several pieces of his jewelry on display in the store.

It was then that the victim went to the State Police Barracks in Uniontown to report his findings.

State Police officers in Pittsburgh then made several attempts to contact the Audio Lab owner, but could not.

According to police, McKinney then started speaking with Kasievich about the price of the jewelry McKinney had sold to the store.

Kasievich asked for his money back and McKinney gave him $2,000 out of the $6,000 he had received for the stolen goods, police said.

On Nov. 26, police arrived at Audio Lab and said the staff was uncooperative.

At this point in the investigation, troopers obtained a search warrant and recovered about 50 pieces of the victim's jewelry.

Detectives said there are still several hundred pieces of jewelry to be recovered.

Trooper Lieberum said he is in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for Kasievich.

McKinney has been charged with burglary, criminal conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief for the first incident, and receiving stolen property for the second case.

McKinney stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair, and police believe that he is somewhere in Fayette County.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police.

WPXI