A former Union Township pool company manager is accused of stealing money from the store and keeping customers’ cash deposits.
Union Township police yesterday filed three felony charges of theft, theft by deception and receiving stolen property against George Lipcsak, 45, of Zelienople, who had been the manager of Swimming Pool Discounters at 4901 W. State St.
Police said Lipcsak allegedly stole $8,267.29 from the store in cash and customer deposits. He also is accused of stealing a laundry dryer from the business.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest by District Judge J.V. Lamb, and he is expected to turn himself in to authorities.
Police said Lipcsak has been fired.
Police allege Lipcsak took customers’ cash deposits and did not turn the money over to the business. Nor did he deliver the products to the customers, they said.
Police received a report from office manager Melissa Kleiner on June 14 that her father, Dale Kleiner, who owns the company, told her a customer had called to set up a delivery date for his hot tub.
Dale Kleiner told the customer he had no sale order or contact on a hot tub under his name, according to police.
Melissa Kleiner also told police she found from an inventory list that all the equipment used to install fiberglass pools was missing.
She also said other customers had called the store and her father, asking where their pools or hot tubs were because they had paid deposits to Lipcsak but did not receive their purchases.
In one instance, a couple had placed a deposit on a pool, then gave Lipcsak more money and picked up the pool. However, the payment was not turned in to the company, the police were told.
Melissa Kleiner also learned that a customer had paid more than $2,000 by check for a purchase that wasn’t received. The company never received the money, and the man received a refund, leaving the store short.
Melissa Kleiner also alleged Lipcsak did not turn in register money on certain days, police said.
Police noted they had interviewed Lipcsak about the cash discrepancies and he voluntarily answered their questions and gave a written statement, admitting to stealing customer deposits and to stealing money from the cash register.
When questioned about items missing from the store, according to police, Lipcsak said he did not have any of those items, with the exception of the dryer.
TOP STORIES
Related Photos
Discussion
Former store manager accused of stealing cash
- TOP STORIES
-
-
Photo Gallery, Story: Farm animals perish in barn fire
A teary-eyed Dawn Reese stood wrapped in a black and white Aztec blanket, warding off yesterday’s bitter winds. She watched dejectedly as firefighters from six departments withstood sub-freezing temperatures to hose down the remains of her parents’ two-story barn that dated back more than a century.
-
Local Priest: Obama birth control policy is bad medicine
One local priest believes the Obama administration’s new birth control policy would impact Lawrence County if not reversed. “It will affect from Catholic Charities in the disocese of Pittsburgh to every corner of the nation,” said the Rev. Frank Alamade, administrator of St. Vitus Catholic Church.
-
PennDOT outlines local projects
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has planned the following projects for the 2012 construction season:
-
Mayor picks Salem for police chief
New Castle Mayor Anthony Mastrangelo has selected Sgt. Robert A. Salem as his choice for police chief. The mayor will officially present Salem for appointment at Thursday’s city council meeting.
-
Shale drilling not yet booming here
Marcellus and Utica shale drilling in Lawrence County is not booming — yet. But progress is being met with mixed emotions from landowners who either have scrambled to sign top-dollar leases with drilling companies or who are being cautious about the effects hydraulic fracking could have on their land and the environment.
-
Over and back: Neshannock basketball coach rebounding from frightening stroke
All John Corey wanted was a picture. Not much else mattered at this point. A day that, at first, allowed him to spend time with his wife and three kids, ended with him clinging to a family photo and wondering if he would ever see any of them again.
-
Ellwood City Nativity still front burner issue
A federal lawsuit filed Friday in Montana could serve as a warning for Ellwood City’s Nativity Location Committee. The committee, formed in December after borough council voted to remove the display from the municipal building lawn, has until June 12 to recommend proposals for a 2012 site.
-
Drug court aims to give addicts their life back
The greatest incentive defendants have in completing Lawrence County’s drug court is to regain the dignity they had before addiction. Education, jobs, expungement of their criminal charges and living drug-free lives also lie at the end of that rainbow.
-
Chief Rejected: Sansone plans to sue city
Former New Castle police chief Tom Sansone plans to file a lawsuit against the city. Attorney Joel Sansone, a cousin of the police officer, said yesterday that as soon as his investigation is completed, he intends to file the suit in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh.
-
Teamwork led to arrest of bank robbery suspects
Help from multiple departments and quick detective work enabled the New Wilmington police to track down two suspected bank robbers. And Police Chief Carmen Piccirillo has learned that sometimes, someone, somehow will be recognized.
- More TOP STORIES Headlines
-
