We’re getting new information on that rash of fast food burglaries in the Pittsburgh area last weekend.
The suspects got away with more than $13,000 dollars in cash.
Chief investigator Rick Earle has learned criminal charges have now been filed locally. Monroeville police have now charged two of the three suspects with the break-in at a Wendy’s restaurant.
All three men are from houston texas and police believe they came here specifically for the fast food restaurants.
Monroeville police have filed 16 charges against both Dewitt Ross and Myron Causey, including burglary, theft and receiving stolen property.
This after police say they broke into fast food restaurants in five different communities in the Pittsburgh area by smashing the drive-through window.
Castle Shannon Lt. Brian McKeown investigated the break-in at McDonald’s where the thieves didn’t even attempt to crack the safe.
“That was consistent with what we thought as far as them being professionals,” he said. “They’d walk in, they’d evaluate the difficulty and the time they’d have to invest in it. And if they find it’s going to be too risky for them because it’s going to take a long time to get into the safe, they’d cut their losses.”
Once inside, police say they used a grinder and other power tools to get into the safe. Police say they got away with more than $13,000 in cash from three of the five restaurants.
Using license plate readers and surveillance cameras, Castle Shannon and Monroeville police tracked them to the state of Indiana.
Just one day after the burglaries, police in Greenfield, Indiana, moved in on the suspects and, using spike strips, stopped their vehicle and took three men into custody. Police say they recovered most of the stolen cash.
11 Investigates first reported last week that one of the men, Dewitt Ross, had been released from federal prison in April after stealing $80,000 from an ATM technician in San Antonio.
The three men, all from Houston, Texas, are also suspects in a variety of theft cases from Kansas to Wisconsin.
It’s unclear why charges have not been filed against the third suspect, Zacobi Demas, but we have learned there’s now an active warrant for his arrest out of Michigan.
All three men are still being held in jail in Indiana. They will be brought back to Pittsburgh to face charges here.
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