Three Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Scrap Metal From Industrial Park

Three men who allegedly stole more than $1,000 worth of scrap metal were easy to spot as they tried to leave a Scott Township industrial park with their loot earlier this month.

The rear bumper of their getaway car, filled with the heavy and bulky metal in the trunk, was nearly dragging on the ground as the men left the Super Mill Complex near Carnegie on Dec. 2, Scott Township police said.

“It was almost dragging on the ground,” Scott Township police Sgt. Jeff Skees said of the car.

The owner of the company, Future All Inc., alerted police when he saw the men leaving the complex with the metal hanging out of the open trunk, Skees said. Carnegie police eventually stopped the car at the Advance Auto Parts store on Washington Avenue.

Arrested at the scene were father and son from Carrick, and the driver. Police said they charged Matthew Eperthener, 48, Shawn Eperthener, 26, and John Lonnett, 45, of Ellwood City, with theft.

Skees said the metal was lying on the ground in the complex and were parts to a machine. He did not know how much the metal weighed, but estimated it was worth $1,029 if turned over to a scrap yard.

Like the Chartiers Valley Patch Facebook page or sign up for our Daily E-mail Newsletter