Woman held in Maryland on open Pennsylvania warrant

Police in Maryland took a 43-year-old woman into custody on Sept. 23 after receiving a report that a burglary was taking place in the Cecil County town of Elkton. Responding officers found a woman inside the residence concerned, but she told them that the home belonged to her parents. The woman was not charged with burglary, but she was taken into custody after a records check discovered an outstanding Pennsylvania warrant relating to the theft of a credit card.

According to police, the woman took the credit card from the offices of her employer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is then said to have used the card to purchase goods worth $1,400. The exact date of the theft was not reported, but it is believed to have occurred between Aug. 4 and Sept. 9.

A bail modification hearing was scheduled for the woman in Lancaster County Court on Sept. 19 after it was learned that she was already on bail. East Lampeter police had taken the woman into custody in April and charged her with burglary and theft. A warrant was issued for the woman when she did not appear as required on for the hearing on Sept. 19. After being taken into custody in Maryland, the woman was transported to a Cecil County custodial facility awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania.

Theft of goods with a value of between $1,000 and $10,000 is a felony in Pennsylvania, and those convicted face a possible 10-year prison sentence. However, a prosecutor must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt in order to secure a conviction. A criminal defense attorney may closely scrutinize evidence in a theft case for indications that police acted outside constitutionally mandated guidelines. If the evidence against their client is compelling, a defense attorney may seek to have charges reduced during plea negotiations.

Source: Lancaster Online, “Lancaster woman arrested in Maryland following charge of credit card theft”, P.J. Reilly, September 23, 2014