The alleged thieves fled police before crashing on the warehouse property.
A C&S Wholesale warehouse employee and another man both are jailed in a scheme to steal $11,000 worth of baby formula from the supply company.
Alberto Portes, left, and Elvis Polcano, right. (Courtesy photos) Charged are Alberto Portes, 25, of the 600 block of North Law Street, and Elvis Polcano, 20, of the 200 block of South 14th Street, both in Allentown.
Colonial Regional police earlier this month began investigating the theft of baby formula cases from C&S Wholesale warehouse, 4820 Hanoverville Road, Lower Nazareth Township. Employees told investigators the capers were using the identification card of Portes, an employee, to gain access into the building and fleeing in a white Kia SUV.
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Police were called to the warehouse at 5:06 a.m. Saturday by the company's security team for a report of someone scanning Portes' card to gain access into the building. A security officer told police he observed on surveillance camera footage two people -- later identified as Portes himself and Polcano -- enter the building.
Two others then were seen driving a white Kia SUV and grey Acura SUV, respectively, around to the side of the warehouse. Portes and Polcano used a forklift and pallet jack to remove the cases of formula from the shelves and brought the cases to a loading dock, where the vehicles were waiting, a security officer told police.
Police said the baby formula was being loaded into vehicles as Colonial Regional officers arrived on scene. As officers tried to stop the Acura, driven by Polcano, he steered straight toward one of the cruisers, causing an officer to swerve to miss a head-on collision, according to police.
Polcano allegedly went speeding through the warehouse parking lot with police in pursuit. At one point, the Acura was on two wheels, police said.
Eventually, Polcano crashed the Acura into a gate on the property and both he and Portes were arrested. Officers seized baby formula cases from both the Acura and later, from the Kia. Both vehicles were impounded.
Portes allegedly admitted to investigators in being involved in the baby formula thefts and said Polcano also was involved, as well as a third male he only knew by the name of "Papo." Court records do not indicate anyone else charged yet in the scheme.
C&S investigators listed the total value stolen in the thefts was 120 cases of formula, totaling $11,008, court records state.
Portes is charged with two counts theft while Polcano is charged with two counts theft and reckless endangerment. Both were arraigned before District Judge Richard Yetter III, who set bail at $65,000 each.
In lieu of bail, both Portes and Polcano were taken to Northampton County Prison.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
