A Mercer County man was arrested in the early-morning hours of Monday, Feb. 15 after a rash of thefts in the Princeton area. Jonathan Louis Mathena, 33, of Bluefield, has been charged with two counts of petit larceny and receipt or transfer of stolen goods.
On December 26, 2019, the Princeton Police Department received reports of a television that had been stolen from a Princeton-area home.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim advised officers that she believed the two individuals she had been allowing to stay with her (Mathena and Trina Pennington) had taken the television early that morning while she was still sleeping. The victim further advised officers that the television was valued at approximately $300.
On January 3, 2020, the victim notified the Princeton Police Department that her stolen television had been located at Godfather’s Pawn on Roger’s Street in Princeton. Officers accompanied the victim to the pawnshop to recover her television, at which time it was confirmed that Mathena had pawned not only the television, but also an Amazon Echo which had been reported stolen from the victim’s neighbor’s porch.
Approximately eight months later, on July 22, 2020, officers responded to a Cabell Street residence to investigate reports of a Coleman Power Washer having been stolen.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim advised officers that Pennington and Mathena had been staying with him because they were homeless. The victim claimed that, shortly after 7 p.m., Pennington came into his bedroom, and spoke with him for approximately 10 minutes. The victim further stated that he believes that Pennington was intentionally distracting him to allow Mathena the opportunity to remove his power washer from the residence. The Coleman Power Washer was valued at approximately $200. Arrest warrants were requested for Pennington and Mathena at that time.
Mathena is currently being held at Southern Regional Jail on a $5,000 cash-bond or surety.
