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HAZLE TWP. — A man who publicly apologized on a police department Facebook post about his arrest on retail theft charges last month now faces additional charges connected to a previous heist.
State police at Hazleton say Chris Planutis, 33, of West Hazleton, allegedly entered Kmart at the Laurel Mall just after 12:30 p.m. on May 22, removed merchandise from store displays and proceeded past the checkouts without paying for it
The merchandise included a Bushnell Power View Binoculars set, a Crosman C11 Semi-Automatic .177-caliber BB Gun, a Daisy Power Line 5501 Semi-Automatic CO2 BB Gun, a 1,500-count pack of Copperhead Copper-Coated BB Ammunition, and a 75-count pack of ½-inch Daisy Glass Slingshot Ammunition with a toal value of $155.25.
Planutis was charged with a felony count of retail theft on June 29 and arraigned before District Judge James Dixon. HIs preliminary hearing is scheduled for noon Wednesday before Dixon.
Previously, Planutis made headlines when he posted an apology on a police Facebook post announcing his arrest in an alleged May 23 theft from a West Hazleton Lowe’s Home Improvement Store.