May 9, 2016 2 min read

A North Charleroi mother and her 16-year-old daughter spent Mother’s Day in a way few would want to spend the holiday after they were taken into police custody for allegedly stealing items from Walmart in Trinity Point.

Jordan Elizabeth Bercik, 30, of 716 Conrad Ave., and her daughter were caught shoplifting by store security, South Strabane Township police said. The two allegedly were selecting items and putting them in Bercik’s purse. Township police said the 19 items, valued at almost $100, were recovered.

This was not the first time the girl was with her mother when Bercik was taken into custody by police. Charleroi Regional police had to use a battering ram to enter their home April 3, 2015, to serve a search warrant at the residence.

Police had been getting complaints about possible drug activity. They used the ram when they reportedly got no response after announcing their presence several times. When they entered the house, they said they found Bercik and her daughter, who was 15 at the time, inside a bedroom. Police said they also found heroin and cash in the residence.

Bercik was taken into custody and is awaiting trial on drug charges and criminal use of a communications facility. She also faces charges of providing false information on an application to purchase a gun filed by North Belle Vernon police stemming from an Oct. 25 incident. The charges were filed last month, and she faces a preliminary hearing next month before District Judge Charles Christner.

South Strabane police said they will charge her by summons through the office of District Judge Jay Weller with retail theft, corruption of minors and criminal trespass. Her daughter will be charged in juvenile court.