Man Faces Multiple Charges After Allegedly Stealing Coins From Laundry and Running From Police

McCONNELLSBURG - A man is facing charges of running from police, theft, and much more after allegedly taking off from police

McCONNELLSBURG- A man is facing charges of running from police, theft, and much more after allegedly taking off from police following a tip off of his location to police. Lance Joshua Mellott was charged on 2/17 with felony criminal trespassing, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor criminal mischief, misdemeanor receiving stolen property, and misdemeanor possession of an instrument of crime. He was charged on 2/25 with felony flight to avoid apprehension and misdemeanor resisting arrest. He remains behind bars on a combined bail of $7,000.

Pennsylvania State Police were initially called to the Countryside Coin Laundry on Maple Street in McConnellsburg around 9am on February 16th for a reported theft. PSP say that the night prior, around 9:30pm, a male dressed in all black and wearing a black facemask entered the laundry and used a tool to steal coins from a coin pushing machine. The victim told PSP that they believed they had lost about $50 in coins and believed that the person who did it was Lance Mellott. PSP say Mellott was told not to return from the property before and that he usually wore a mask.

After continuing the investigation, PSP say that Mellott was found on video sneaking into the laundry with a black mask on, checking to see if anyone was around. Mellott then reportedly inserted an object into the machine, damaged the machine, and pulled coins into the winning slot before fleeing with the ill gotten gains.

Due to Mellott not having a fixed address, PSP asked for a warrant against him be issued, which resulted in an incident on February 25th.

Troopers say they received a confidential tip that Mellott was at a home on Lincoln Way East around 1:15pm on February 25th. When police arrived, they say that they saw a man crouched down on the front porch of the home behind some garbage in an effort to conceal himself. When police left their vehicle to identify the person, they say Lance Mellott stood up and directly looked them in the eyes before taking off on foot.

The foot chase continued for about 175 yards, PSP say, until two Troopers got to Mellott in a business parking lot. Police say Mellott resisted the arrest, tensing up and trying to not get handcuffed. That is when Troopers had to gain compliance, they say, through controlled strikes. Mellott was then taken into custody and booked by PSP McConnellsburg.

Lance Mellott remains behind bars in Bedford County on agreement with Fulton County on a combined bail of $7,000.

Sources: Docket Number: MJ-39403-CR-0000013-2025, Incident No.: PA 2025-225213, Docket Number: MJ-39402-CR-0000017-2025, Incident No.: PA 2025-183667