May 21, 2014 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – A former Washington County man being held in the Greene County jail since March 27 for allegedly roaming halls and entering patient rooms at Southwest Medical Center has now been charged in an unrelated matter.

Ryan Avery-Vaughn Tyler, 26, of 155 N. Woodland Ave., Apt. 57 B, Waynesburg, was charged Tuesday with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft from a motor vehicle. Tyler is alleged to have stoleen a Springfield .45 ACP Pistol July 15 from a truck owned by Don Aaron Lemley, while it was parked at Lemley’s residence on Water Dam Road.

According to a criminal complaint filed before Greene County Magisterial District Judge Glenn Bates, Lemley left the pistol in his vehicle while he went inside his residence to change clothes. Lemley told police he came back outside and saw a man walking down his driveway. Lemley said this person, later identified as Tyler, told him he had lost his dog.

Police said, Lemley’s wife, Heather, told them Tyler said he lived three houses down from them. Tyler told her his grandmother was in a tan SUV he parked along the roadway while looking for the dog. Heather told police the SUV had tinted windows and she did not see anyone inside. She said Tyler gave her a phone number to call if she saw the dog.

Tyler was gone before Lemley realized his gun was stolen.

Investigating officer, Trooper William Brown, learned there was a warrant in Cumberland Township for Tyler in a similar crime.

Cumberland Township police Chief Craig Miller told Brown Tyler was believed to have stolen $180 from the vehicle of Brandon Lee Carter, 405 Route 88, Carmichaels, July 17. Miller said a description of Tyler’s vehicle was given by Carter as a gold or tan Chevrolet Tahoe. When Carter confronted Tyler, he told Carter he was looking for his missing dog. Tyler received a sentence of 13 days to 23 ½ months incarceration after he pleaded guilty in February to the theft.

On July 24, Waynesburg Borough police Officer Tom Ankrom took Brown into custody and transported him to the state police barracks in Waynesburg for questioning. Tyler admitted to Brown he was at the Lemley residence but claimed another person was with him and claimed that man stole the gun. Tyler told police he purchased heroin from this person and the gun and drugs could be found at his residence on West Lincoln Street in Waynesburg. A search warrant was served on the person’s residence. Drugs were located, but the gun was not. There have been no charges filed against the other person at this time.

While being questioned by Brown, Tyler allegedly said he had made up the story about the dog so Heather Lemley would not question what he was doing in her yard. He admitted he had stolen things out of vehicles in the past and he’d used the story about a lost dog in the past while committing crimes.

Tyler is scheduled for plea court at 1 p.m. June 9 on the charges related to Southwest Regional Medical Center. He is scheduled for plea court at 1 p.m. June 4 in Washington County for three separate cases June 27, July 5, and July 7. Charges in those cases include theft from a motor vehicle, criminal trespass, burglary and theft by unlawful taking.