Couple charged with burglarizing 12 bars across Pittsburgh area, stealing $17K

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A couple was charged with burglarizing a dozen bars across three western Pennsylvania counties, stealing thousands of dollars, state police announced on Thursday. 

State police said Stephanie Hankle and David Rice burglarized bars in Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties, causing $8,000 in damage and stealing over $17,000. They targeted businesses like The Dark Horse Saloon, Brenda Lee's Bar, June Bug's, Black Diamond VFW and Cloverleaf. 

Police said Hankle would drive her boyfriend Rice to bars and after staking out the businesses, Rice would break in when they were closed. Investigators said they would also steal alcohol, and on one occasion, an entire ATM. 

"It seems like they really tried to do their homework the best that they can and scout it out and space it out so it wasn't easy to be tracked," said Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. "They tried wearing gloves and doing this, that and the other, and without saying our full playbook, people who maybe want to commit these burglaries try to cross their t's and dot their i's but we have 24 more letters that we can investigate under and that's how we were able to get them as suspects, get the interviews conducted and then the confessions from both individuals."

Brenda Hoye, the owner of Brenda Lee's Bar, said her business was targeted by Hankle and Rice. Police said the two visited the place first before Rice broke in later. 

"I'm thinking that maybe he had been in there before and was like canvassing and knew where we left certain items because he got away with like our bank bags that we kept our start monies for the day," Hoye said.

Between cameras, footprints and forensics, Gagliardi said investigators had a "good bit" of evidence against the pair. 

"Once we showed them all the things at the table, the confession just came through," he said. 

The couple is facing a "laundry list" of felony charges, Gagliardi said. The investigation into the pair is still active, though police don't believe they're connected to any other burglaries in 2023. 

Hoye said now that they've been caught, it brings her closure.

"I was just glad that they were apprehended, that they can't do this to anybody else," she said.