Men charged with South Strabane thefts lead police on foot chase
Two men were arrested Wednesday evening after allegedly stealing large amounts of merchandise from several South Strabane stores and leading police on a foot chase.
Conrad Clinton Blair, 55, of Uniontown, and James Delgado, 31, of Allison, were allegedly working with a group “committing high-dollar retail thefts,” since Sunday, South Strabane police Chief Drew Hilk said in a news release Thursday.
Hilk said his department had been investigating two to four people who worked together to steal merchandise worth upward of $4,500 from Walmart and Kohl’s on Route 19. On Sunday and Monday, they allegedly stole $3,362 in merchandise from Walmart and $1,389 in goods from Kohl’s.
Police reported Blair as one of the suspects earlier this week, as he allegedly was seen fleeing Walmart with stolen merchandise Sunday. The police report stated Blair is known to be on federal probation and considered “a very dangerous person, is known to carry a gun … and will fight police.” In that report, police cautioned that “anyone having contact with Blair should use extreme caution.”
Just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, employees at Kohl’s called police because the group of theft suspects were in the store. When police arrived, Blair and Delgado allegedly were exiting the store with more than $500 worth of stolen merchandise.
Hilk said in his release that when officers tried to make an arrest, the two ran. Police pursued them on foot throughout the Strabane Square Shopping Center and to the West Penn Power building on Washington Road.
When they found Blair, Hilk said, he was “in an alternate level of consciousness,” and was treated for a suspected drug overdose at Washington Hospital before he was taken to jail. Hilk said the two were in custody within an hour and that several other police agencies assisted with the arrest.
Blair and Delgado were each charged with four felony counts of retail theft, resisting arrest, escape and flight to avoid apprehension. Police said Thursday that Blair will be charged with a fifth count of felony retail theft.
“We are currently investigating the identity of at least two additional offenders that were involved in the criminal conspiracy,” Hilk said in the news release.
Blair and Delgado were arraigned Wednesday night by District Judge Larry Hopkins and each jailed on $100,000 bond. Their preliminary arraignments were scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 2 before District Judge Jay Weller.