Police arrest Derry man after purse-snatching incident in Scottdale

A Derry man is accused of stealing a purse from a woman in Scottdale Wednesday before police apprehended him after a foot pursuit, according to investigators.

Jason M. Thomas, 33, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail on charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Borough police were called to a reported strong-arm robbery at 12:30 p.m. outside Brilhart Hardware on South Broadway.

The woman told police she was sitting in her car when a man asked her for help and hit her in the shoulder while demanding her purse, according to court papers. She shoved him and he took off with the purse, police said.

Officers spotted a man matching the description of the robber in the area of Church Street and Garfield Park. During the foot chase, the suspect threw the purse at an officer and a Taser was deployed but did not make contact with the him.

Once he was apprehended, police said they found three credit cards belonging to the woman in his possession, as well as a hypodermic needle.

Thomas did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A Jan. 18 preliminary hearing is set.

Two other sets of charges were filed Wednesday by state and Latrobe police. He is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and access device fraud stemming from a Monday incident in Latrobe. He had not been arraigned in that case.

Troopers accuse him of involvement in a Tuesday home invasion and theft on Montgomery Road in Upper Tyrone, Fayette County, according to Scottdale police. He was jailed on $25,000 bail.