A Wendy’s restaurant manager has been arrested for allegedly burglarizing her own store in Middletown Township, according to police.
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The incident occurred at the Wendy’s located on Bristol-Oxford Valley Road near Woodbourne Road. Police were dispatched to the scene on Thursday, October 9 at 5:14 a.m. following a report of an overnight burglary, according to court papers.
Upon arrival, officers found that the restaurant’s door was unlocked, the alarm system deactivated, and the safe, which should have contained $1,500, was empty.
The store manager reported the burglary, noting that only a few fellow managers would have access to the alarm and safe codes, police said.
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Investigators obtained surveillance footage from a nearby business, which showed a masked woman parking in a lot close to the Wendy’s and entering the store. The footage from the Wendy’s captured the woman opening the safe and removing the money, police said.
The suspect’s vehicle that was identified in the surveillance video was recognized by the reporting manager as belonging to another manager at Wendy’s, police said.
In an interview later in November, the suspect – identified as 38-year-old Latasha Shaneeta Powell of Upper Darby Township, Delaware County – claimed she was at home sleeping with her daughter at the time of the burglary.
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However, further investigation revealed that Powell’s vehicle was captured on a license plate reader along Market Street in Philadelphia at 2:40 a.m. on the day of the burglary. She was heading toward Bucks County, police said.
The day after her initial interview, Powell contacted the police and admitted her involvement in the burglary. She reportedly expressed remorse, stating she made a mistake during a difficult time in her life and offered to return the stolen money.
Powell was charged with burglary, theft, and receiving stolen property. She was released by District Judge Daniel Baranoski on $2,500 unsecured bail.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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