SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) — A Somerset County man is facing 10 theft charges, including one felony charge, as well as escape charges, after escaping custody last week.
John Wortman allegedly took delivery packages from the front porch of several homes in Somerset Borough, according to Somerset County district attorney Molly Metzgar. She alleges he also attempted to break into a lottery ticket machine at a gas station.
Authorities said Wortman asked a judge to allow him to receive treatment at a rehab facility instead of a sentence in this case. Metzgar said the district attorney's office opposed that request, but the judge decided to grant it
Officials said on the way to the rehab facility, Wortman exited the transport vehicle. That led to a manhunt lasting nearly a week, according to investigators.
They said Wortman was taken back into custody on Tuesday and is being held in the Somerset County Jail.
Meanwhile, a separate case is being investigated by the Somerset County Police Department, officials said.
A co-owner of Home Town Wash and Dry Stephanie Mostoller said a theft happened at her laundromat early Friday morning.
Mostoller said someone entered her business just minutes after the doors automatically unlock at 6 a.m. and took about $1,000 in cash from a PA Skills Machine. She adds that about $1,000 in damage was also done to the machine.
She claims this is "at least seven times in two years" that her business has been robbed. Mostoller said that plays a part in her belief that crime is getting worse in the Somerset area.
Metzgar responded by saying, "My office and Somerset law enforcement is more committed to enforcement than ever."
She adds that a second full-time detective has been added to the district attorney's office.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Wortman is a suspect in the laundromat theft case. The Sargant at Somerset Borough Police Department, Rich Apple, said, "charges are forthcoming" in that case, but would not expand beyond that.
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