$12,000 in Cigar Lighters Stolen by Warehouse Worker: Police

An employee of the Cigars International warehouse in South Bethlehem is accused of stealing a box of deluxe cigar lighters worth $12,000 retail, Bethlehem police said.

Robert Torres, 43, of 85 W. Ettwein St., Bethlehem, was caught in the act stealing a box of 120 $100-lighters by the warehouse facilities manager, according to an arrest affidavit.

Michael Schenk, the facilities manager, told police that he was hiding inside the warehouse with a vantage point that allowed him to view a pallet of Bugatti B-1 Torch Lighters when he saw Torres take them before 6 a.m. Sunday, the affidavit says.

Schenk told police that he watched as Torres removed a box of lighters from the pallet, walked to the end of the pallet row and went to an adjacent row of employee lockers where he placed the box in an unassigned locker, the affidavit says.

The action served “no legitimate purpose,” police wrote in the affidavit.

A description on the Cigars International Website describes this lighter as having an all-metal case and a fold-out punch cutter. The Website says the manufacturers suggested retail price is $100, though Cigars International is selling them for $49.

Torres was charged with theft and receiving stolen property, both third-class felonies. He was arraigned Sunday morning before on-duty District Judge Nancy Matos-Gonzalez and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $40,000 bail.