Austintown police investigating attempted theft from JCPenney

AUSTINTOWN — An unidentified thief tried to smash and steal a cash register from the JCPenney store along Mahoning Avenue, according to a township police report.

A store employee told police who responded after 8 p.m. Friday they saw a slim, black male about 6 feet tall wearing a green hooded sweatshirt attempting to break into the register. The man was unsuccessful and fled out the store and into an older, silver Dodge Durango parked nearby, the report states.

The reporting officer noted the register was damaged by a blunt instrument.