Lower Salford Police Photo by James Short.
The thefts, police said, occurred at Sammy's Bullfrog Cafe over 4 months.
A former Harleysville restaurant employee is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from his employer over a four-month period.
Justin Javon Reed, 25, of the 2400 block of Josie Lane, Harleysville, was charged July 1 by Lower Salford Township Police with felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and theft by failing to make required deposit of funds, according to court records.
Reed is free on $5,000 unsecured bail, set by Magisterial District Judge John D. Kessler at a July 7 arraignment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 17 at 10 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Adam T. Katzman.
According to police, a theft investigation at Sammy’s Bullfrog Café, 282 Hunsberger Lane, started on June 4, where business owners told police that Reed stolen thousands of dollars and was terminated after learning he was involved in the theft from the restaurant.
Police allege Reed stole $3,837.93 between Jan. 6 and May 18, 2024 while working as a cashier. Of that amount, $3,703.96 of it was a gift card payment, $104.54 were cash payments, and the remaining $29.43 were gift card payments intended to be used as tip money for servers, police said.
Police said the gift card payment receipts did not contain a copy of the gift card used during the transaction, which is cashier protocol.
Police interviewed a few customers, who said they paid cash to Reed and asked to give the change as tip, and a few servers, who claimed Reed never provided them with the tips, per the complaint.
Police interviewed Reed on June 17, where he allegedly admitted to stealing the money from Sammy’s Bullfrog Café by ringing up transactions as gift card purchases when customers were paying with cash. Reed would then pocket the cash after ringing up the false gift card transaction, police said.
Police said Reed used the money to pay bills, including a $1,000 fine to Bucks County Clerk of Courts.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
