Supermarket Theft Leads To Felony Charge
WARSAW — The theft of a cart of groceries has left a Warsaw man facing possible felony theft charges. Joshua B. Hawthorne, 35, 920 Anchorage Road, Warsaw, is facing a $5,250 bond for the theft of $23.66 worth of groceries from Owens Supermarket.
Hawthorne was initially charged with a class A misdemeanor theft charge, however, due to prior convictions of the offense or attempted theft, the charge was enhanced to a level 6 felony charge.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor, on Friday, Sept. 11, staff at Owens contacted police in response to a theft at the store. Police were informed a store manager had noticed a man pushing a cart of groceries past all points of sale failing to pay for them. He then loaded the groceries into a Honda minivan. The store manager photographed the vehicle’s license plate and the man loading the groceries into his car.
When questioned about the incident, Hawthorne admitted he was at the store on the day of the theft but could not produce a receipt for the groceries he took home. Hawhtorne had nothing more to say about the incident.
Hawthorne was reportedly convicted for attempted theft in Kosciusko County Circuit Court on June 21, 2001.