Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Register, Donation Jar at West Point Deli

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A former employee of West Point Deli has pleaded guilty to stealing money from the business as well as a customer donation jar containing money intended for Manna on Main Street.

Court records show Heather Alderfer, 38, of Lansdale, pleaded guilty last week to one misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that saw the more serious felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property dropped in exchange for her plea.

Alderfer was sentenced to two years’ probation on the misdemeanor theft charge, and she was also ordered to make restitution to the deli as part of her sentence.

Police were initially dispatched to the deli on Nov. 14, 2022, to take a report of two stolen cash drops totaling $1,800 that were missing from the safe. The envelopes were later located buried in a trash can in the women’s bathroom, however they were empty and none of the money was recovered, police said.

Two months later, police were again dispatched to the deli to take an additional report of thefts from the register, as an employee noticed an unusual amount of cash returns while looking through the register’s receipt history, according to charging documents. Surveillance footage from a security system installed after the November 2022 theft showed an employee — identified as Alderfer — logging 20 fake cash returns on the register, totaling an $1,823.20 in stolen cash, police said.

As the investigation continued, police said Alderfer had been tasked with delivering a $220 cash donation to Manna on Main Street that had been raised by customer donations via a donation jar, however she allegedly kept the cash for herself. A staffer with Manna on Main Street was able to verify past donations from West Main Deli, however they had no record of receiving the $220 donation from Alderfer, police said.

Police said that on Feb. 24, Alderfer voluntarily appeared at the police station to speak with investigators and admitted to stealing the money from the register, the donation jar, and the cash drops. In the recorded interview, Alderfer said she "felt a rush” stealing the money, according to investigators.

In total, Alderfer allegedly stole a total of $3,843.20 from West Point Deli, police said.