Connellsville man charged with stealing car, lighting it on fire
A man was charged for allegedly stealing a running car from the Honey Bear Sunoco parking lot on South Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville, buying a gas can with the victim’s credit card and lighting the car on fire.
Joseph Shawley, 26, of South Pittsburgh Street gave a full confession to police, saying he was motivated by drugs, according to paperwork filed in the case.
Connellsville police said Robert Haas left his vehicle, a 2018 Mitsbubishi Outlander, running in the parking lot and found it missing when he returned from the store at about 7 a.m. Sunday. Shawley was caught on surveillance footage attempting to conceal his identity, police said, and was later again caught on surveillance footage using Haas’ debit card at a PNC ATM at a Sunoco on Route 30 in Greensburg. He bought a gas can in the store at about 9:20 a.m., police said.
Firefighters received a call for a vehicle burning in Bear Rocks at about 12:30 p.m., which was identified as the stolen car. The car was destroyed in the fire.
Shawley is on an ankle monitor for parole, which police said showed he was at the scene at the time of the crime.
He is charged with theft, receiving stolen property, arson, tampering with evidence, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and access device fraud.
Shawley was arraigned Sunday night by on-call Magisterial District Judge Ronald Haggerty Jr., who set bail at $30,000. Shawley remains in Fayette County Prison, unable to post bail.