Police arrest suspect in Save-A-Lot money theft

Former employee accused of stealing more than $7,000 from store safe

TYRONE -- A former grocery store employee who police say stole more than $7,000 before skipping town is now in custody.

Benjamin D. Moak, 39, of Tyrone, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on felony theft-related counts stemming from the September theft of $7,317.91 from the safe at Save-A-Lot in Tyrone.

According to charges filed by Tyrone police, Moak was the supervisor on duty the night of Sept. 21, and after allowing the last employee to leave early just after 10 p.m., he proceeded to clean out the cash from the safe.

The employee that Moak sent home early told police that while he was outside waiting for his ride about 10:15 p.m., Moak appeared and sat down on the curb, telling the employee someone was picking him up.

Police said Moak was scheduled to work until 11 p.m., and the alarm for the store, which is on the 100 block of West 13th Street, was set at 10:22 p.m. No one else entered the store until the morning shift employees showed up at 6 a.m. and discovered the previous night's paperwork was left unfinished and the safe was left empty of all money except change and checks.

Moak had come to the area through a halfway house and had been employed at the store for three months, police said.

He lived with the store's manager and had told the manager that he would not be home until about 2 a.m. because he planned on hanging out with a co-worker. The manager told police Moak never arrived home, and the co-worker who Moak said he was going to visit after work said the two never had plans to hang out that night.

Police said Moak had told other employees he wanted to go back to Kutztown, and when police attempted to call his cellphone, he never answered.

Police said the phone's voicemail was not set up, so no messages could be left for him.

Tyrone police did not indicate Wednesday where Moak was found. He was lodged in Blair County Prison following his arraignment. Bail was set by Magisterial District Judge Fred Miller at $25,000 cash, and Moak is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Tyrone District Court for his preliminary hearing on the charges.