Three New York City residents are facing felony charges for allegedly stealing nearly $6,000 from PA Skills machines at a State College area store.
Borough police arrested Warner R. Alvarez-Almanzar, 30, of Jose R. Reynoso, 34, and Tiffany Cabrera, 26, after they allegedly attempted to break into a Skills machine on Thursday at Smokers Square, 1306 S. Atherton St. An officer who responded to the scene recognized the trio as suspects in multiple thefts from machines around the area, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The charges filed on Friday stem from a theft from Skills machine on Oct. 18 at another Smokers Square location, 1320 E. College Ave. Surveillance video from that incident showed Reynoso and Alvarez-Almanzar removed $5,993 from four machines while Cabrera distracted an employee with questions, police wrote.
After they were arrested, a search of Reynoso yielded six brass keys used for locks like those on the machines, as well as two lock picks and a small Allen wrench, according to the affidavit.
Cabrera allegedly admitted to being in central Pennsylvania with the two men visiting a friend the week of Oct. 16, which police said matched the timeframe for other Skills machine thefts in Centre and Blair counties. She told police that they were paid $1,000 to play Skills machines, but would not say by whom, according to the affidavit.
Alvarez-Almanzar said that “he made a bad choice and ‘did it’ but is not a bad person,” police wrote.
Reynoso is charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and theft, a felony count of receiving stolen property and two misdemeanor counts of possession of an instrument of crime.
Cabrera is charged with felony counts of conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property.
Alvarez-Almanzar is charged with felony counts of conspiracy and theft.
All three were arraigned on Friday by District Judge Gregory Koehle, who denied bail citing their out-of-state residency. They are currently detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Nov. 8.
