Clearfield County man on the run for 47 days captured
CLEARFIELD - A Clearfield County man on the run for 47 days was taken into custody Sunday without incident.
Justin Craig, of DuBois, has been wanted since he escaped from the back of a police car in the early-morning hours of May 17, after attempting to burglarize a business in downtown Reynoldsville.
Police said Craig was responsible for five different burglaries at Agway, H&H Hardware, Clearfield Tire, Auto Mike's and Puff Super Value Tobacco Outlet.
Police said on June 25, officers received a call for a burglary at the Puff Super Value Tobacco Outlet in the Clearfield Mall.
Police said they found a heavily-damaged double door at the rear entrance of the mall. Police said the door had been struck multiple times with what appeared to be a pry bar.
Once inside the mall, police said they found a single sheet of paneling was removed from the Tobacco Outlet, which exposed the inner wall studs. Police said Craig forced his way inside by breaking the store drywall and crawling over a store shelf.
The store manager, Ashley Brown, said about $3,000 worth of cigarettes, 17 scratch-off lottery tickets and cash was stolen.
Police said Craig attempted to break into the store safe, but was unsuccessful.
While collecting evidence, police found three long hairs tangled in the broken paneling from where Craig entered. They said it will be sent to Erie Crime Lab for analysis.
All stolen lottery tickets were canceled, to which the PA Lottery Commission was notified.
Video surveillance was collected.
Police received a list of attempts to cash the stolen lottery tickets at the BP Gas in Clearfield, Snappys and the Fuel On in Curwensville.
Police said video surveillance of these attempts showed Steven Maines. Police said Maines is a relative of Craig and was known to have ties with him.
Maines originally told police he found the stolen lottery tickets in a garbage can. Maines then changed his story to having found them along the side of the road. Once police advised him of the video survelliance, Maines provided information about Craig.
Police said Maines told them Craig was staying somewhere along DuBec Road, near the cobblestone bridge pull-off. Maines gave a description of a tent, homemade bridge and items that would be located at the site.
Police said Craig was not at the area when the arrived. Police then made contact again with Maines, at which point he agreed to help locate Craig.
Maines told police he was going to try and convince Craig to turn himself in.
On July 3, police said Maines and Craig arrived at the Lawrence Township police station. Police said Craig appeared to have been outside for some time, with dirty clothing and heavily-scratched legs and arms.
Craig told police all the burglaries would have some type of DNA or blood evidence left behind.
Police said Craig was forthcoming while explaining the story, claiming he only committed commercial burglaries, never residential.
Police said Craig explained that the reason he had been burglarizing these places for money was due to the fact that he needed to buy food and supplies while he has been hiding from police.
Craig is in the Clearfield County jail on $100,000 bail.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 13.
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