Man Stole $9K Worth Of Lottery Tickets, Burglarized Franklin Store: PD

FRANKLIN, NJ — A man was arrested after police say he burglarized a convenience store and stole $9,300 worth of lottery tickets, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.

On March 14 at around 8:08 a.m., Franklin Township Police Department got a 911 call reporting a burglary at a convenience store located on Easton Avenue.

Franklin Township Police Officers determined that during the overnight hours, the suspect gained entry to the store by breaking the glass door. Once inside the store, the suspect stole around $9,300 worth of New Jersey lottery tickets, said McDonald.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Burglary Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department determined that Joseph Holman, 41, of Buttercup Lane, Willingboro, was a suspect in breaking into the store, stealing the NJ lottery tickets, and later validating them.

On April 4, Holman was charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree theft, fourth-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools, a disorderly person’s offense.

Holman was served with his criminal complaint at the Middlesex County Correctional Center where he has been lodged since March 20, on unrelated charges stemming from Middlesex County. Holman will remain lodged pending a detention hearing in this matter.

McDonald would like to thank detectives from the Middlesex Borough Police Department and members of the New Jersey Lottery Commission for their assistance with this investigation.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Burglary Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos andphotos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

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