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Couple arrested in Washington Co. accused of series of thefts from across U.S.

SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A nationwide theft ring came to an end in Washington County.

According to police, the couple was wanted on 21 warrants from places as far away as Oregon and Minnesota, to local communities like Cranberry Township and Mount Lebanon.

The couple crisscrossed the country doing the same thing, according to investigators.

The woman allegedly goes into a business and straight into the back, where she takes wallets and cellphones out of purses, before leaving in a silver car.

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Their license plate was reported across the country and finally Monday night, a South Strabane officer spotted it parked at a Motel 6.

Surveillance video captured Joy Collyar at several stores in the South Hills using stolen credit cards.

Her boyfriend, Tony Melton, is also facing several charges.

According to investigators, the couple drove a silver Suzuki Esteem and the license plate had been given to police for multiple theft cases.

Monday night, a South Strabane police officer heard the couple used a stolen credit card in the area and spotted their car.

According to the criminal complaint, police found multiple purses, wallets, phones and games in their motel room.

The first cell phone they turned on, the victim told them she lives in Indiana, claiming 
a woman with red hair stole her phone from her purse in the back room of the store where she worked
and left with man with a beard in a silver Suzuki with an Oklahoma license plate.

A wallet they found was taken from Once Upon a Time in Cranberry Township, when the victim there told police a woman with red hair took it from her purse in the back room of the store and left with a man with a beard. Her information was used to buy a phone at a Metro PCS in Washington.

Police believe there could be more victims out there and authorities from South Strabane, Mount Lebanon, Cranberry Township and Bethel Park are all working together.