EMPORIUM — An Emporium man has been charged with burglary after home surveillance video footage was turned over which allegedly showed him wearing the same clothes during the burglary as when he was interviewed by police.
Victor Lee Elliott, 35, of Emporium, faces felony charges of burglary and criminal trespass, along with misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, stemming from an alleged New Year’s Eve incident, court records stated.
The break-in was reported by the victim, who brought an envelope containing a small tablet and zip drive to police. The zip drive contained security camera surveillance video and still shots of an individual walking up the stairs and into an enclosed porch area at the residence, according to the affidavit of probable cause on file at Magisterial District Justice Barry Brown’s office.
The individual on the video entered the porch area at two different times, just after 8 p.m. and around 10:30 p.m., and was seen to be wearing a winter hat with a round insignia on it, a hooded sweatshirt with a black triangular symbol on the top of the hood and a ripped, brown-colored coat.
Investigating officer Emporium Borough Police Chief Dave Merritt believed that the man in the video was Elliott, as he is well known to the officer, according to the affidavit.
Merritt then went to Elliott’s residence to speak with him. According to the affidavit, Elliott immediately told Merritt he was aware of why officers would want to speak with him, but that he did not break into the victim’s residence. When asked why Elliott believed he was a suspect, he stated he had heard his own name mentioned in connection with the burglary.
Elliott told police he had been at his friend’s mother’s home on New Year’s Eve. The home is located in the same building as the victim’s.
Merritt visited locations in Emporium where he believed Elliott had been on the night in question. Employees at both the liquor store and the Emporium Sheetz recognized him, and stated he had visited their locations. One of the employees stated that Elliott had been wearing a Steelers winter hat, hooded sweatshirt and a ripped-up brown coat.
According to the affidavit, Elliott was wearing the clothes described above when he was interviewed by Merritt. However, Elliott denied being the individual on the video even after watching it, and stated he did not know why the man in the video would be wearing the same clothing as Elliott.
Elliott is accused of taking $100 in cash, and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 at Brown’s office at the Cameron County Courthouse.
