Cops: Pa. man caught 'purple-handed' in meter theft

SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) — Police in one southwestern Pennsylvania borough say a man who’s been stealing money from parking meters since November has been caught purple-handed.

Somerset police Chief Randy Cox say police began applying a purple dye to the inside surfaces of some meters which have been broken into and repaired and aimed a security camera in one business so it would cover some meters in a business district where the thefts had been occurring.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for 22-year-old Justin Hardesty who was captured on video Sunday and found with purple hands before police say he confessed to stealing about $250 from the meters. The Associated Press could not located a listed phone for Hardesty.

Police say the repairs have cost about $5,000 in this borough about 65 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.