STRUTHERS Police investigate thefts of newspapers from boxes

A carrier noted thefts at several vending machines.
STRUTHERS -- Police are investigating several individuals in the theft of newspapers from coin-operated vending machines owned by The Vindicator.
According to police reports, several hundred copies of The Vindicator have been reported stolen from boxes throughout the city over the past few weeks.
According to the most recent report, a woman who fills several vending machines said her collections have plummeted from $525 per week to $75, so she staked out some of the boxes in an attempt to catch the thieves.
After waiting in her car near the first machine, at Arby's, she saw a woman drive up to the machine, insert her coins, grab several papers and drive off.
The Vindicator carrier followed as the woman who took the papers delivered them to homes on Wilson Street.
The vending machine attendant then parked and waited near her second machine outside a video store on Youngstown-Poland Road.
She told police she saw a man pull up, put something in the machine and drive off with an undetermined number of papers. After inspecting the paper machine, the report states, she discovered slugs had been deposited instead of coins.
At the third machine at One Stop Depot, the woman told police, she saw an older man deposit something into the box, remove several papers, then gently close the door so it would not lock.
The attendant said she watched more of the boxes she fills and observed several individuals stealing papers.
She recorded the license plate numbers from five vehicles and provided them to police.