Giant Eagle Manager Prevents Yet Another Theft

At least three times in the past month, would-be thieves have left or tried to leave the same grocery store in Whitehall Borough without paying for items in their possession, and all three of those times, the local police have gotten their hands on them—but not before store management has.

Shortly after noon on Friday, the manager of the Caste Village Giant Eagle—Phillip Scott—called police to report that he had just prevented a woman from walking out of his store with over $200 in stolen merchandise, Whitehall police Deputy Chief Richard M. Danko said.

Scott said that he noticed the woman bypassing store registers with the stolen goods and trying to blend in among paying customers while exiting the store, according to Danko. At that point, Scott headed off the woman—Gina M. Mattola, 45, of 3019 Villawood Ave. in Brentwood Borough—near the exit before police arrived.

Officers then arrested Mattola and are charging her with retail theft.

On Nov. 7, Whitehall police arrested 41-year-old Roberta Lynn Black at the same Giant Eagle after store management confronted Black just outside of the store's exit doors trying to leave Caste Village property with a shopping cart full of items that she didn't pay for, Whitehall police Chief Donald R. Dolfi said.

And on Nov. 3, according to Dolfi, 37-year-old Brenton Fawcett was arrested on a theft charge after running away with stolen goods from the same Giant Eagle after another altercation with the store's manager.

"Phil's doing a pretty good job down there," Danko quipped.

Read through other Whitehall police items here.

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