Tamaqua woman faces theft charges in Coaldale

A Tamaqua woman has been cited by Coaldale Police in connection with a reported theft at in the 200 block of East High Street in March.

On March 14, police were dispatched to the High Street home and spoke with a man who wanted to report a theft. He told the officer he had picked up a friend, Andrew Masscotte around 9:30 p.m. on March 11 and agreed to provide him with a place to stay for a few days. He picked up Masscotte and his girlfriend, at 216 Owl Creek Road in Tamaqua.

The next day, the man and a roommate left the home to attend a concert. A third roommate was out of the house until 9:30 p.m. and went straight to bed after arriving home.

When the concertgoers returned home at 4:30 a.m. on March 13, one of them noticed the items on his nightstand were out of place, but didn't notice anything missing.

Later that same day, the three roommates all realized that someone had removed items from the house, including $135 in cash, 20 Lorazepam pills, 90, OxyContin tablets and several video games. They suspected Masscotte and his girlfriend, whose name they could not remember, only that it started with a "T." The man told the officer his only contact with Masscotte was through Facebook and the address where he picked him up days earlier.

The officer was familiar with the Owl Creek address and knew one of the residents to be Taryn Depos, 29. The victim confirmed Depos was the girlfriend who spent time at his home.

She was contacted and admitted spending the night at the Coaldale home, but denied any knowledge of the thefts. She agreed to go to the police station to provide a written statement, but then failed to do so, despite repeated promises to the officer.

She has been charged with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. A warrant has been requested for her arrest.