Portage man stole vehicle, broke into store

CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A portage man is facing felony charges after allegedly stealing a truck and breaking into a Puff and Snuff.

Donny Watters, 29, is facing felony burglary charges after police were called to a Puff and Snuff located on Portage Street for a reported burglary on Dec. 10 around 7 a.m. Upon arriving, police found the front door smashed in as well as a skills machine knocked over on the ground.

Cameras inside the convenience store showed two people pulling up in front of the building in a Ford F150, get out and attempt to enter the store and then leave after not being able to, according to the criminal complaint.

Police noted that one person was seen wearing a black ski mask, a blue jacket and black bib overalls while the other person was seen wearing blue jeans, lime green and black gloves, a light colored zip up hoodie and a orange ski mask.

The video continues to show that the truck returns a short time later and backs into and smashed the door. The person wearing the light-colored zip-up hoodie was seen entering the store, knocking over the skills machine and stepping on top of it, leaving a footprint behind.

The Ford F150 was reported stolen from the Portage area, and it was reported that the front door had been smashed, according to the complaint.

On Dec. 20, police were called for another burglary in process in Summerhill, where Watters allegedly stole another truck and led police on a chase. Watters was then arrested and a black ski mask, a purple sweatshirt, black latex gloves, gray pants, a neck guard and a black bag were allegedly found with him.

Police were able to locate the truck that Watters had allegedly stolen and lime green and black gloves were found inside, according to the complaint. The victim of the theft told police that the gloves did not belong to him.

It was noted that Watters matched the general description of one of the suspects that was caught on video and his shoes matched that of the print left behind on the skills machine.

Watters is now facing two felony charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, one felony charge of criminal trespass, one felony charge of receiving stolen property as well as a misdemeanor related to property damage.

Watters is currently being held at the Cambria County Prison after failing to post 10% of his $500,000 bail.

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 28.