DUBOIS – A DuBois man has been charged with two felony counts of retail theft for stealing from a local Wal-Mart on two, different occasions.
Daniel Joseph Donnelly, 32, 26 E. Weber Ave., DuBois, was charged by Sandy Township police after Donnelly was seen on surveillance footage from Wal-Mart removing two GPS units from a display on Feb. 14.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, a loss prevention employee noticed the units that had been on mounting posts were missing. As the surveillance footage was reviewed to determine what had happened, employees could see two men entering the store and proceeding to the electronics department.
One of these men removed the GPS units by force and put them in a shopping cart under some clothing. This man selected various video games and put them under the clothing, as well. The man then took the cart to another section of the store.
The video allegedly shows this man walking out of the store with a big bulge sticking out of the back of his winter coat. The other man was not around at this time.
The shopping cart was found in the last aisle with nothing but the clothing items in it. Employees checked that area and were unable to find the missing merchandise.
The man left the store just 13 minutes after he entered. The total value of this theft was $637.68.
An employee recognized the man as someone who had been arrested a year ago for a similar incident. Photos of both incidents showed the man who was wearing the same winter coat on both occasions.
The newer photos were shown to the officer who handled the previous incident and he remembered Donnelly. Another officer was also able to confirm the man as Donnelly.
The loss prevention manager advised police that Donnelly was a suspect in another theft in September. At that time, the store had only a photo to provide police and the officers did not do a report on that incident.
According to the employee, on Sept. 28 an unknown male was seen walking through the ladies department with a GPS box in his hand. He appeared suspicious, so the employee followed him. Moments later he observed the man conceal the GPS box under his jacket. The man then had a square-shaped bulge underneath his coat.
The man went out the grocery exit where the EAS system beeped, which indicated he had something that had not been deactivated. A cashier tried to get the man’s attention, but he didn’t stop.
When the employee who was following him pointed out to the man that the other employees were trying to get his attention, the man swore and said he didn’t have time for this.
The employee followed him outside the store where the man got into a vehicle. The employee said he could not stop him because he had just gotten off work. This employee identified the man as Donnelly. The value of the GPS unit was $199.
Police discovered that Donnelly had pleaded guilty to two previous retail thefts.
Donnelly is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 6 during centralized court at District Judge Patrick Ford’s office.