Officer catches man crawling through broken glass door during burglary in North Hills

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A North Hills man is facing charges after an alleged string of break-in attempts early Tuesday morning that ended with a police officer catching him in the act.

A Ross Township police officer was on his regular patrol route when he spotted Dominick Toth, 24, of Wexford, crawling through a hole smashed into the glass door of the Sunoco gas station at the intersection of Siebert Road and Babcock Boulevard.

“It’s a great example of fine police work that through the hours when everybody’s sleeping, they’re out there keeping an eye on things,” said Det. Sgt. Brian Kohlhepp, with the Ross Township Police Department.

The officer waited for Toth to come back out and took him into custody without incident.

“When he was apprehended coming out of the business, he had a black duffel bag with 11 cartons of cigarettes and a crowbar,” said Kohlhepp.

Toth was arrested around 3 a.m. Police believe that prior to that, Toth tried to break into two other convenience stores in Cranberry Township: the GetGo on Perry Highway and the Super Mini Mart on Freedom Road.

Toth never made it inside either store in Cranberry. He allegedly only caused damage to their doors before police arrived.

In Ross Township, Toth is charged with burglary and possessing an instrument of crime.

“Because our officer did such a great job and caught this individual in the act, it makes it much easier for us in terms of building a case,” said Kohlhepp.

Toth was booked into the Allegheny County Jail and arraigned Tuesday morning. A judge set a non-monetary bond.

Toth is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 23.

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