Dec 12, 2018 3 min read

Canonsburg police arrested a McKees Rocks man in relation to dozens of vehicle break-ins in the borough.

Scott Jeffrey Wilson, 40, of 832 Frank St., is facing 15 felony charges for allegedly breaking into vehicles and stealing items from at least 11 victims.

Police said the thefts started about Nov. 25. Police said that during an interview with Wilson, he admitted to entering about 50 vehicles that week. He allegedly stole anything from laptops and phone chargers to gloves, credit cards, prescription bottles, ultrasound photos, a spare key for a Cadillac, poker chips for The Meadows and Rivers casinos, headphones, ammunition and a pistol.

Police said he also stole a truck belonging to Industrial Elevator Maintenance, which was later recovered by West Mifflin police. West Mifflin police also reported a pistol was stolen from their jurisdiction, as well as a red truck, both of which were seen at Wilson’s girlfriend’s home at Valley View Terrace in Canonsburg.

Police visited that residence Nov. 28 and asked to interview Wilson at the police station, to which he agreed. Police said that as Wilson reached for a jacket, the stolen pistol fell out of it. The pistol had an altered serial number, which Wilson later admitted to removing, according to the criminal complaint.

Most of the vehicle break-ins happened on Breezewood Drive, Vine Street and Forest Drive in Canonsburg, but Chartiers Township police also reported vehicle break-ins around the same time. According to the criminal complaint, Chartiers police had a report of stolen vehicle Nov. 25. They later recovered the vehicle in McKees Rocks. The juvenile inside the stolen vehicle reported to police that he was with a man from the Valley View Terrace residence.

Police said in many of the cases, Wilson was caught on surveillance video prowling around residences, entering vehicles and peering into house windows. Many of the stolen items were recovered.

“Wilson reported the thefts were related to his drug addiction,” police said in the criminal complaint.

Wilson was charged by Canonsburg police with illegal possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number and altering the firearm’s serial number. He was also charged with nine counts of theft from a motor vehicle, theft by unlawful taking, four counts of loitering and prowling at night, and two counts each of receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Wilson was arraigned Tuesday morning by District Judge David Mark and jailed on $50,000 bond.