An 18-year-old Bern Township man is accused of stealing more than $25,000 after breaking into four skills machines inside a Muhlenberg Township gas station in the spring.
Gabriel I. Moffett of the 1000 block of Rick Road was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Monday night before District Judge Ann L. Young in Reading Central Court.
Muhlenberg police charged Moffett on June 27 with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. Authorities were unable to find Moffett, whose last known address at the time was in Wyomissing.
Details of Moffett’s arrest Monday were unavailable.
According to investigators:
Police were called to the Sunoco gas station at 100 W. Bellevue Ave. on May 22 when the theft was discovered. A store clerk indicated a white male wearing a green sweatshirt with camo pants entered the store shortly after 8 a.m. and began playing the skills machines, which award cash prizes based on player performance.
The male went to the machines in the rear of the store and tampered with the locking mechanisms after removing a piece of equipment. He was able to open the front of each of the four machines and gain access to the cash cassette.
A security camera image of the male was disseminated via email to a law enforcement working group. Two members of the Wyomissing Police Department identified the male as Moffett.
An audit conducted by the store owner and Elite Amusements, the vendor of the skills machines, determined that $25,465 was taken from the four machines.
Source: Berkshire mont
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