Pa. man faces theft charge in museum heist

CANFIELD — A Pennsylvania man faces a felony theft charge for purportedly stealing German Army memorabilia from the American Legion War Vet Museum on East Main Street.

John Sizemore, 47, of Conneaut Lake is charged with felony theft and misdemeanor possessing criminal tools.

Theft of war memorabilia was first reported to police Nov. 30, according to a police report.

Museum staff reportedly determined that items had been taken over the course of two weekends by a male suspect who was caught on surveillance video. Nine German medals reportedly were taken from a display case, and 15 German Army memorabilia items were taken from a restroom.

A break in the case came Dec. 3, according to the report, when a man matching the suspect's description returned to the museum. After observing and speaking with the man, later identified as Sizemore, police searched him and found a pocket knife and screwdriver on him.

Sizemore reportedly admitted to police that he stole the items, and sold them on Craigslist for a total of $380.

The reported estimated value of the stolen items is $3,489.

Sizemore later reported to police that he was in the process of buying back the memorabilia and would return them to the police.