CLAY AND WARWICK TOWNSHIPS, Lancaster County — Northern Lancaster County Regional Police arrested two people accused of committing distraction thefts at two Lancaster County businesses in December 2017.
Tonya Lynn Snyder, 37, and Chad Edward Bright, 38, both of Lititz, were charged with two counts each of theft by unlawful taking and one count each of receiving stolen property, police say. They have also been previously charged with committing distraction thefts from multiple produce vendors in the same area, according to police.
The latest charges stem from two incidents that occurred on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2017, police say.
On Dec. 18, two suspects, later identified as Snyder and Bright, entered The Doll Boutique on the 1100 block of Newport Road in Lititz at about noon. The store owner told police they claimed to be Christmas shopping. Bright allegedly approached the owner and said he had a doll in his vehicle that he wanted to show her. While the owner accompanied him outside, Snyder stayed inside the shop, police say. When the owner and Bright got outside, Bright allegedly told her the doll was missing. The owner returned to the shop as Snyder exited. After the couple left, the owner discovered that about $400 was missing from the cash register, police say.
On Dec. 21, a similar theft was reported at The Old Clay House Antique Shop on the 2400 block of W. Main St. in Ephrata. The store owner told police that a couple, later identified as Snyder and Bright, entered the store at about 4:15 p.m., claiming they were shopping for a present. The male approached the merchant and asked about the price of an unpriced item upstairs. When the merchant went upstairs with Bright, Snyder was left unattended downstairs. After Bright and Snyder left without purchasing anything, the merchant noticed that $110 was missing from the register and $292 was taken from his wallet, police say.
The victims later identified Snyder and Bright from photo arrays provided by police.
When they were interviewed by police on Wednesday, Snyder and Bright allegedly admitted to committing the crimes, police say.
Both subjects remain incarcerated in the Lancaster County Prison on unrelated offenses.
