A Hellertown man is facing charges after he allegedly stole a cart full of items from the Hilltown Walmart, only to walk outside and encounter police who were making an unrelated retail theft arrest.
Hilltown Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Bethlehem Pike at 8:48 p.m. on Feb. 20 for a report of a retail theft. While on scene with the initial suspect in custody, a store manager informed police that another suspect had just walked out of the store with a cart full of stolen merchandize.
The suspect ran across the parking lot and into the nearby woods, police said, however they were able to secure clear images from surveillance footage as well as the make and model of his vehicle in the parking lot. Police continued to check the vehicle over a period of several hours, and around 3 a.m. they observed the suspect — identified as 33-year-old Jeffrey Taddei — lying in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, according to charging documents.
Taddei reportedly had an active arrest warrant out of Chester County for shoplifting, police said, and he refused to exit the vehicle. As police opened the driver’s door, Taddei allegedly put the vehicle into drive, accelerated into a vehicle parked in front of him, then fled the scene at a high rate of speed, the report states.
It was later determined that Taddei was driving a vehicle that was reported stolen out of Palmer Township on Feb. 15. Total value of the stolen merchandise from Walmart was $925.85, police said.
Taddie was taken into custody on March 24 and charged with felony counts of retail theft, receiving stolen property and fleeing to elude police, as well as a misdemeanor count of escape and related summary offenses. He’s currently being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10% of $50,000 cash bail, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 31 at 1 p.m. in front of District Judge Regina Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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