Trio from NYC, Reading swiped skill games from Boyers
SHENANDOAH – Three men from Reading and New York City are in Schuylkill County Prison after police say they swiped two skill game machines from a Shenandoah grocery store.
Ezequiel Martinez Acevado, 26, of 2734 Bainbridge 4B, Bronx; Atahualpa Adames De La Cruz, 41, of 3133 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx; and Juan Alberto Reyes Valdez, 9 Elm Street, Reading, are facing felony theft charges.
According to the criminal complaints filed by Shenandoah Police Patrolman Matthew Williams, police were called around 7:30pm Wednesday to the Boyers Food Markets on West Centre Street for a theft in progress.
Three men loaded two skill machines into the back of a New York-plated white Chevrolet van and fled.
Shortly after, West Mahanoy Township Police Patrolman Mark Hysock was behind the van in Frackville and, with the assistance of Frackville Police and State Police, stopped the van.
All three were taken into custody.
Two skill games, worth $3,700 apiece, were swiped and found in the van and police said a witness saw Valdez wheeling one of the machines into the van at the store.
The witness had followed the van as it zig-zagged Shenandoah before leaving towards Frackville. Dash camera footage from the witness corroborated the accounts.
Two of the men — Acevado and De La Cruz — were processed and found to be in the United States illegally.
The three men were arraigned overnight and committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $100,000 bail each.
Preliminary hearings are set for next Tuesday.
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