A man has been charged after allegedly committing numerous thefts.
Taylin Anderson, 18, was charged on Monday with first-degree theft, second-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, unauthorized use of a credit card, and third-degree burglary.
According to a police complaint, on June 16, a man fell asleep in the 300 block of North Johnson Street and awoke to someone going through his pockets. He noticed his wallet and iPhone were missing and chased Buatti and a codefendant to an apartment complex across the street but lost track of them.
A witness said they returned to the apartment and displayed the items they had stolen. Anderson and his codefendant allegedly took the witness outside to locate the victim but he was already gone. Anderson and his co-defendant admitted to other witnesses that he had stolen the victim’s property. Police later searched the apartment and found the missing wallet in a pair of pants belonging to the codefendant.
Later that day, Anderson and the codefendant allegedly used credit cards from the stolen wallet at Casey’s and the Den. The codefendant swiped the card at both locations. Then Anderson and three other codefendants reportedly went to the Iowa City Walmart, where a codefendant swiped the card. They then allegedly used another card at Hy-Vee Gas and Walmart in Coralville. The amount of money charged to the stolen credit cards was $476.71.
On June 25, Anderson and a codefendant were allegedly staying in an apartment directly below the victim’s apartment. Anderson and the codefendant climbed onto the balcony of that apartment when they knew the victim was not home, the complaint said.
They entered the apartment through the balcony door. Witnesses saw Anderson and the codefendant leave the apartment with a MacBook Pro and a flat-screen TV. Anderson and the codefendant reportedly admitted to the burglary to other witnesses. After police searched Anderson’s and the codefendant’s apartment, the laptop and TV were found along with iPods and a camera. The total value of everything taken was $2,400.
First-degree theft is a Class-C felony. Second-degree theft and third-degree burglary are Class-D felonies. Fourth-degree theft is a serious misdemeanor, and unauthorized use of a credit card is an aggravated misdemeanor.