WILKINS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – A retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper is facing a felony charge after allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from stores.
State police said the first incident occurred in April at the Home Depot in Wilkins Township. According to the police paperwork, John Tamewitz ordered items online and then showed up at the store and used the online receipt to leave the store with other items that were never paid for.
“Tamewitz then covertly removed the identification sticker from the Home Depot online order and placed it in an inconspicuous location in the store. Tamewitz then selected additional merchandise for sale at Home Depot, placed his online order documents/sticker on the merchandise to deliver to Home Depot Give the false impression that the items were part of an already paid online order, pass all checkouts without paying for the additional items, and leave the store with unpaid, stolen merchandise,” the police said.
Corporal John Tamewitz retired in 2015 after 22 years with the Pennsylvania State Police.
“It’s terrible. We need these police officers to enforce the law and not break it,” said Jim Botti, a local contractor.
Police said Tamewitz stole from the Hempfield Township Home Depot at least once in the past year and from the Wilkins Twp location at least twice, totaling more than $2,000 in stolen property.
“It’s really shocking to find out that something like this would even happen. We need to get integrity back in this country,” Botti said.
KDKA-TV spoke with Tamewitz’s attorney on Friday, who said he hopes for a fair trial.
“You wouldn’t interview me if John retired from Pittsburgh Glass or US Steel. So again, we just want to be treated fairly,” said Michael Ferguson, the attorney representing Tamewitz. “My client is: he is a good man. John is almost 60 years old. He has never had any problems in his life. He is a very devoted father and grandfather. And really, we just want to be treated in this case.” to be treated fairly and as anyone else would in a similar circumstance.”
Botti said he sees people stealing from stores like Home Depot all the time and thinks it’s affecting his bottom line.
“I can tell you as a contractor that the price of everything has doubled since 2021, as far as what I need for supplies. And theft has a lot to do with that,” Botti said. “I’ve seen guys walk out with a bunch of power tools, and they don’t even stop them. … It definitely affects the price, especially in a supply location like this.”
Tamewitz is charged with shoplifting, theft by deception and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned Friday morning and released on an unsecured bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 14, 2025.
