Police say a thief is on the loose after escaping from a squad car in Reynoldsville.

We have more on the elusive suspect who slipped away.

The officer involved calls it embarrassing, and the chief says there’s an internal investigation.

It happened around 2 a.m. on Wednesday at the police station.

The complaint says Justin Craig, 30, DuBois, asked to smoke a cigarette and was cooperative on the balcony, then shut the door on Sgt. Bruce Cramer and tried to run down the hall, which was a dead end.

Sgt. Cramer got Craig in the car, but forgot his keys and ran upstairs, enough time for Craig to get out the half-open window, according to the complaint that Cramer filed.

Earlier, police say Cramer was on-call and off-duty, and responded to a 9-1-1 call from the Reynoldsville Hardware store in the 300 block of E. Main St. for a man prying on the back doors.

The complaint says he spotted Craig, who ran down the alley, got into a Volvo, and was soon stopped in Falls Creek by troopers who’d passed through Reynoldsville and were helping Cramer.

“I’m not very happy with it,” says Mayor Louie “Peach” Caltagarone. “We know that there was a mistake made, procedures weren’t followed, and we’re handling that and it will be handled.”

“The windows can’t be put down in the back seats, that’s a safety feature,” says Police Chief Troy Bell.
“The doors in the back can’t be opened. It was just a window that was left down and a small suspect was able to crawl out.”

Store owner Judy Lake says she’s upset the troopers had Craig, but he got away from the local officer. She also wishes officers would patrol at night instead of during the day.

Caltagarone says an internal investigation is underway and has not yet been completed.