Pa. Animal Control Officer Allegedly Steals Wallet

[larrymeyer]

http://www.officer.com/online/articl...ion=1&id=49201

Pa. Animal Control Officer Allegedly Steals Wallet


Posted: Friday, November 6, 2009
Updated: November 6th, 2009 02:38 AM EDT

David Singleton
The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.


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Nov. 5--The city's animal control officer was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing a wallet from a neighbor's home where she had taken her children trick-or-treating and then trying to use the owner's credit-debit card to make purchases later Halloween night.

Jamie Marciano, 32, of 232 White Birch Drive, was released on her own recognizance after arraignment on theft and related charges before Magisterial District Judge James Kennedy. She faces a preliminary hearing next Friday at 10:45 a.m.

Ms. Marciano, a former Humane Society of Lackawanna County officer who was hired as Scranton's animal control officer Feb. 17, has been suspended without pay pending an investigation, city officials said.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Detective Michael Schultz, Ms. Marciano stole the wallet from the kitchen counter of an Oakwood Drive home Saturday while her children were there for Halloween. The homeowner told police Ms. Marciano, who had been in his kitchen, seemed to be acting strangely.

There were at least four attempts to use the owner's credit-debit card to make purchases or access an ATM, the affidavit said.

Those included two incidents on Halloween night -- first at Mr. Z's on South Washington Avenue and later at Giant Market on Nay Aug Avenue -- when video surveillance cameras captured Ms. Marciano trying to use the card, the affidavit said. In each case, Ms. Marciano appeared to be holding her city-issued portable radio while at the checkout counter.

After reviewing the surveillance video, Detective Schultz contacted Ms. Marciano on Wednesday and asked her to come to police headquarters.

She allegedly admitted taking the wallet and trying to use the credit-debit card but said she could not remember what she did with the cash in the wallet. She told Detective Schultz she wanted to cooperate and said she started using cocaine three or four weeks ago, the affidavit said.

In addition to theft, Ms. Marciano with receiving stolen property and four counts of unauthorized use of an access device.

[LittleRedToyota]

the stupidity of some people is really amazing.

how can people not realize they are being video'd when they use a mac machine or, in the vast majority of cases, check out of a store? and, so, it is trivial to figure out who was using that stolen card (or at least what they look like) by simply checking the video from the time of the purchase/atm usage?

i guess i should just be happy when criminals are idiots, but i still have trouble wrapping my brain around how someone could be so completely stupid.