Grocery store owner accused of stealing $307K in coupon scam
PITTSBURGH >> The owner of four Pittsburgh area grocery stores is accused of illegally pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars by claiming customers used coupons he had employees take out of unsold newspapers.
Michael John Mihelic was arraigned Wednesday on charges of theft by deception, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and dealing in the proceeds of illegal activity.
Court records don’t list a lawyer for the 59-year-old Pittsburgh resident. A message left on a phone listing linked to him wasn’t immediately returned.
Police say he directed staff at his Shop ‘n Save supermarkets to cut out the coupons, which were then submitted for credit.
They’re accusing him of reaping $307,000 through the alleged scheme.
A former employee told investigators the practice began under Mihelic’s late father and continued after Mihelic took over.
Woman finds tiger in house, tells dispatch: ‘I’m not lying’
HOUSTON >> A woman who called Houston’s non-emergency dispatch line after discovering a tiger inside a cage at an abandoned home told the shocked dispatcher: “I’m not lying.”
The Houston Chronicle obtained a recording of the call after animal rescue workers found the well-fed animal resting on a bed of hay Monday inside a cage they said could be easily opened.
Police say a group of people looking for a place to smoke marijuana happened across the tiger on Monday. The woman told the dispatcher: “It’s pretty big.” Authorities say the animal weighed 350 pounds (159 kilograms).
Investigators have leads into who owned the tiger but say it may not be the person who owns the property.
The tiger has been moved to an animal sanctuary in Texas. The tiger was nicknamed “Tyson” after the movie “The Hangover.”
Woman mistakenly declared dead by government
PHILADELPHIA >> A Philadelphia woman says she was mistakenly declared dead by the federal government, and it caused a host of problems.
Nicole Landen says received an email from American Express last month, informing her of the company’s condolences for her passing. WPVI-TV reports soon after, Landen says her credit account was closed and her bank account was frozen.
She visited the Social Security Office, where she learned she had been mistakenly placed on the “Death Master File.” Landen says the Social Security Administration helped restore her accounts after reporters reached out.
The Social Security Administration says it couldn’t comment directly on Landen’s case but says its records are “highly accurate.” It says people who believe they have been wrongly declared dead should immediately visit a local SSA office.
DA: Teen faces charges in critical drug-related shooting
HAVERTOWN, PA. >> Authorities say a 17-year-old youth has been arrested in what investigators believe was a drug-related shooting near Philadelphia that left an 18-year-old in critical condition.
Haverford Township police and Delaware County prosecutors say the victim met with three other people at a Havertown intersection shortly before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday for an alleged drug transaction.
Authorities say he was sitting in the back seat of a car when another person in the car became aggressive and an altercation broke out. The youth was shot in the face and the trio took off running. The victim was reported in critical but stable condition at Jefferson University Medical Center.