Dollar Tree employee charged in prepaid credit card thefts

The Dollar Tree employee allegedly burglarized store on three different occasions.

The Somerset County courthouse (File photo)

NORTH PLAINFIELD -- A township man employed at a store was arrested after he allegedly used his employee login to the store's cash register on three separate occasions to steal $2,280 in prepaid credit cards and gift cards.

Anthony Strond, 22, was employed at a Dollar Tree store on Route 22 when the store's asset protection office reported to police on Feb. 16 that he had allegedly burglarized the store three times, on Feb. 7, 8 and 13.

Strond allegedly entered the store through an unlocked rear receiving door at 8:50 p.m. on Feb. 7 and, after attempting to disable the CCTV video surveillance system, logged into the store's register and activated two Green Dot Visa prepaid credit cards totaling $1,000 before exiting through the front door, according to an affidavit filed in Somerset County Superior Court.

Man pleads guilty in plot to kill witness

Strond allegedly entered the store again a few hours later, at 12:06 a.m. on Feb. 8, through the unlocked door, logged into the register and activated three more Green Dot Visa prepaid credit cards totaling $1,100 before leaving, according to the affidavit.

Several still shots of Strond inside the store at the time of the burglaries were given to police, it was stated in the affidavit.

On Feb. 13 at approximately 9:36 p.m. after locking up the store with three other employee, Strond allegedly was seen on video returning through an unlocked rear receiving door. After failing to open the office safe, Strond allegedly went to the register and activated two Dollar Tree gift cards for $180, according to the affidavit. A printout showed Strond logged into the register.

Strond was found at a Howard Johnson's Motel on Feb. 19, according to the affidavit.

He has been charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree theft by deception and one count of disorderly persons theft by deception. He's being held in the Somerset County Jail on $50,000 bail with a 10 percent option.