Published: March 02, 2009 02:33 pm      

NEW – Somerset motel maintenance man charged in debit card theft

SOMERSET — A Somerset man who worked as a maintenance man at a local motel has been charged by Borough police with stealing a guest’s debit card Feb. 2 at the Knight’s Inn, 147 Gateway Road.

Kirk Allen Truman, 42, was arraigned before District Judge Sandra Stevanus of Confluence on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, identity theft and access device fraud. He was lodged in the county jail in lieu of $25,000 bond.

The victim, identified as a 67-year-old Rockwood man, told police that Truman had done work on his vehicle for him and was in his room and also around him when he used his debit card.

The police said that Truman told them he had picked up the victim’s card when the victim dropped it outside his room on Feb 2. Truman indicated that he had obtained the pin number while watching the victim using the card at an ATM.

Truman admitted to making 36 fraudulent transactions totaling $6,915 with the card, the police said. The defendant said that he later threw the card in a trash Dumpster, the police said.