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Lewistown theft reported, suspect flees police in car

Low-speed chase ignores stop signs

LEWISTOWN — Police have accused a Juniata Terrace woman of stealing items from a Lewistown Borough store Wednesday morning and then refusing to stop when police attempted to pull her over and later trying to flee, according to court documents.

Lewistown Police Department said at approximately 11:20 a.m., 38-year-old Chandra Kaye McCaffrey was reported by witnesses as having taken items from the Dollar General store on Juniata Street without paying for them.

According to court documents, when an officer attempted to pull over McCaffrey on state Route 103, she refused to stop and turned onto First Avenue at Terrace Boulevard in the borough of Juniata Terrace. Eventually, after McCaffrey stopped and was questioned by the officer, she said she had not taken anything she hadn’t paid for and provided a receipt from the store indicating she had paid for approximately $20 worth of merchandise, according to court documents.

Police said the officer observed three full bags of merchandise on the floor of McCaffrey’s vehicle he suspected were stolen, and when the officer attempted to talk to her about this, McCaffrey rolled up her window and refused to speak to the police. According to court documents, emergency dispatch informed the officer that McCaffrey had twice previously been charged with retail theft and that her driver’s license was suspended.

Police said McCaffrey was asked to exit the vehicle multiple times, but she instead drove off along Terrace Boulevard, failing to stop at two stop signs while driving at approximately 20 mph. Police said McCaffrey then stopped her vehicle, but would not open her door to exit, which led to police hitting the window in an effort to extract her. At this time McCaffrey unlocked the door but continued to refuse to exit before being forcibly removed by the initial officer and a second officer who had arrived, according to court documents.

After being placed in the rear of the police car, McCaffrey spit on the window and began to kick it with her feet, police said.

Upon gathering the suspected stolen items, police determined $24.11 worth of merchandise in McCaffrey’s possession had been taken from the store without her having paid for the items, according to court documents.

McCaffrey is charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and driving with a suspended license.

McCaffrey is incarcerated at Mifflin County Correctional Facility, unable to post the $60,000 bail set. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday at Magisterial District Judge Jack Miller’s office.

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