Crime & Safety

Bethlehem Burglary Trio Waives Preliminary Hearing

Amaro, Trout and Capozzi will all face multiple charges in county court

A trio of accused burglars, allegedly responsible for a three-month long string of thefts in South Bethlehem, all waived their rights to preliminary hearings on Friday and will face multiple charges in Northampton County Court.

Elias Amaro, 32, of 526 Broadway, Bethlehem; Philip Trout, 28, of 2640 Chester Lane, Forks Township; and Vanessa Elaine Capozzi, 27, of 27 E. Seventh St., Easton, all remain in prison on their respective charges.

Police say the trio is allegedly responsible for stealing at least $36,000 worth of merchandise, primarily electronics, such as big screen televisions, video game systems, laptop computers and cell phones, and jewelry in some 20 burglaries from November through January.

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Amaro and Trout were allegedly caught in the process of making a burglary in Forks Township on Jan. 14, which is when they were arrested. Capozzi was arrested several days later.

At the time of the arrests, Bethlehem police said the suspects were motivated to steal by their heroin addictions. Typically, they would take a stolen piece of electronics and hawk it on the streets of South Bethlehem for a quick turnaround, police said. Flat screen televisions may have been sold for as little as $50, according to police.

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According to police, Amaro was the “main burglar” of the group. He would enter the home or apartment through an unlocked door or window – sometimes one that had an air conditioner that could be pushed in, remove the items, stash them in a nearby dumpster, then call either Trout or Capozzi to come pick him and the stolen goods up, police said.

Amaro remains in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. He is charged with multiple counts of theft, burglary, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy, as well as one count of forgery. Trout is charged with multiple counts of criminal conspiracy and is in jail in lieu of $350,000 bail.

Capozzi is charged with multiple counts of criminal conspiracy and one count each of forgery and theft by deception and remains in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.


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