SOMERSET – It appears the packages left on the porch for customers were too much for John Wayne Wortman. He took several of them with him and kept getting caught: on video, by homeowners and their neighbors, by carrying them while they committed another theft, according to court documents.
The 39-year-old man from Somerset also seemed interested in lottery machines. In 2023, he stood guard while another man entered Sheetz and used a key to open the lottery machine, from which he removed items, police reported.
Eight months later, Wortman was caught on surveillance video carrying a pair of bolt cutters to Hometown Dry and Wash, along North Center Avenue, the tool used to cut into a skills machine that collected his money. Police said he did this while on the run from police after escaping from Somerset County Jail staff while on temporary leave for drug and alcohol treatment.
According to owner Stephanie Mostoller, the laundromat had been, in a way, a safe haven for Wortman, who at times seemed homeless and needed to keep warm.
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She remembers Worman from a year earlier. She described him as very polite, helpful and kind. Somewhere along the way, he changed, Mostoller said.
When he broke into the skills machine on March 8, he was hiding from the police after his escape on March 7. He was arrested by the police on March 12.
His sentence in 15 cases
Wortman was sentenced to 49 months (4 years and 8 months) in prison for ten counts of theft and one conspiracy to commit theft, two counts of possession of paraphernalia and one count of possession of counterfeit or misbranded drugs, escape and theft of mail. The incidents took place from May 26, 2023 to March 12, 2024, just under a year.
Presiding Judge Scott Bittner also ordered Wortman to pay $1,800 in fines and $4,433.63 in restitution. Upon his release from prison, he will serve 36 months of probation. He was given 213 days credit.
Wortman pleaded guilty on July 10. All violations are felonies except the escape charge, which is a misdemeanor, and theft of mail, which is a summary. The crimes all took place in Somerset and nearby areas.
The conviction per case:
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On May 26, 2023, video surveillance showed Wrotman removing a package from the porch at 203 E. Fairview St. The package contained brake pads worth $70. He was convicted of theft.
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The same day, video showed Wortman taking a package from 625 Lohr Ave. The package contained $36 worth of Tupperware containers. He was convicted of theft.
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That same day, he also took a package from the porch of 397 Fairview St. containing $25 worth of cat litter and water filters. He was convicted of theft.
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On July 26, 2023, a witness saw him take a package from 364 Catherine St. He was confronted by the witness, a neighbor, and the package was found on his person. It contained paper towels and hair conditioner valued at $17.77. He was convicted of theft.
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On August 8, 2023, a victim provided photos of a package delivered to his address at 612 S. Edgewood St. The photos matched the package the suspect was carrying in another case. The package contained $299.98 worth of Stevie Nicks CDs. He was convicted of theft.
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The same day, video showed Wortman taking a package from 612 S. Edgewood Ave. The package contained cleaning products and toilet paper worth $35. He was convicted of theft.
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About two weeks later, on August 26, a Sheetz video showed Wortman and another man at the lottery machine in the store. They seemed to be examining the machine. The video showed them returning and the other man opening the machine with a key and taking out items while Wortman stood guard. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery.
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On September 14, 2023, the Sheetz video captured Wortman placing a bag behind the store. The bag contained syringes and a lighter glass container with drug residue. He was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia.
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On November 29, detectives were at the Wingate Hotel in Somerset serving an arrest warrant. It was not a warrant for Wortman’s arrest, but he was found in a room there and was not registered. He had with him a glass smoking device, two syringes and a stamp bag. He was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia.
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This year, on Jan. 24, a video shows Wortman taking a package from 533 S. Ankeny Ave. that contained an electric blanket valued at $24.48. He was convicted of theft.
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On February 8, a video shows him taking two packages of 425 Kimberly. The victim saw him taking them and followed him. Worman returned the packages to the victim. The packages contained clothing valued at $63.97. He was convicted of theft and theft of mail.
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On Feb. 19, a surveillance camera photo showed Wortman at 640 S. Ankeny Ave. was taking in a package. The package contained an action figure worth $36. He was convicted of theft.
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On March 7, Wortman was granted a temporary leave of absence from the Somerset County Jail, where he was awaiting trial in lieu of bail, for the specific purpose of drug and alcohol treatment at UPMC-Westwood Behavioral Health, formerly Twin Lakes. He had to return to prison immediately after treatment. The vehicle stopped and he got out of the car and fled on foot in the 800 block of Center Avenue, police said. He was charged with escape and was not captured for several days. He was convicted of escape.
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The next day he came in and walked through the hometown Dry and Wash when it opened. A few minutes later he came back and went in with a pair of red bolt cutters, using which he cut two locks on the skill machine. He hit the machine with a yellow tool to open the piggy bank and left. Mostoller reported that $1,071 in cash was missing and $700 in damage to the machine. He was convicted of theft.
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On March 12, he was arrested with an escape warrant. On that date, he possessed Clonidine, a prescription drug, but it was improperly packaged and mislabeled. He was charged with possession of a counterfeit or mislabeled controlled substance.
This article originally appeared in The Daily American: Somerset man convicted of a dozen thefts over 11-month period
