A Gifford man accused in a multi-county crime spree has pleaded guilty to charges in McKean County.
Tyler J. Newman, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, according to District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer.
Newman was charged in two separate cases: one for a Feb. 2 theft from the locker room of the Bradford Family YMCA, and the other for the Feb. 11 theft of a motor vehicle in McKean County that was allegedly the start of a four-hour crime spree that spanned into Elk and Clearfield counties.
According to court records filed at the time of Newman’s arrest, on the morning of Feb. 2, he entered the Bradford Family YMCA, signed in, walked to the men’s locker room, and walked back out with a red Under Armour bag that belonged to another man. The bag was worth $80 and contained personal items worth about $20.
Court records in the other case alleged that at 9:05 p.m. Feb. 11, Newman stole a GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle from the UniMart on Chestnut Street in Bradford and drove south. By 10:15 p.m., he allegedly had abandoned the Yukon in Ridgway, Elk County, and stole a Nissan Xterra SUV from the Sheetz in that community.
Court records stated that at 11:51 p.m., Newman was in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, where he tried to rob a Sheetz but left without any money. At 12:14 a.m. Feb. 12, in Kylertown, Clearfield County, he allegedly robbed a Kwik Fill at gunpoint, leaving with around $200 or $300, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
He was in police custody by 12:58 a.m. Feb. 12.
After his arrest on Feb. 12, Newman told officials he committed homicide in McKean County, but law enforcement has found no evidence to support that claim.
Newman is facing more serious charges in Elk and Clearfield counties than in McKean.
In Elk County, he is charged with robbery of a motor vehicle and robbery with threat of immediate serious injury, first-degree felonies; aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, third-degree felonies; terroristic threats and possession of a weapon, first-degree misdemeanors; recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, second-degree misdemeanors.
A formal arraignment for the Elk County allegations was held May 6 at the Elk County Courthouse, and the case is still pending.
In Clearfield County, court records indicate Newman entered a guilty plea there earlier this month, but it was unclear at press time to what charges.
The charges he faced in Clearfield County included two counts of robbery with threat of immediate serious injury, first-degree felonies; one count of robbery-inflicts immediate bodily injury or threatens immediate bodily injury, a second-degree felony; robbery-take property from another by force and two counts of terroristic threats, third-degree felonies; theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, first-degree misdemeanors; two counts of recklessly endangering another person, second-degree misdemeanors; and two summary counts of harassment.
Newman is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. July 15 in Clearfield County, and sentencing in McKean County is set for 11:30 a.m. July 18.
He is incarcerated in Clearfield County Jail.
