Milton Repeat Offender Faces Felony Charge in Lewisburg Hardware Store Theft

Brenan Stant Roser, 55, of Shakespeare Avenue, Milton, already carried enough prior retail-theft convictions to make any new shoplifting charge an automatic felony under Pennsylvania law. According to Buffalo Valley Regional Police, he made that outcome unavoidable once more. Patrolman Jaivin Shively charged Roser on March 28 with two felony counts of retail theft after a manager at Cole's Hardware in Lewisburg provided surveillance footage that allegedly showed Roser placing merchandise, including playing cards, into his clothing and leaving without paying. Roser also faces two summary counts of driving with a suspended license in connection with the case.

The manager of Cole's Hardware, at 55 N. Second St., called police at 1:17 p.m. on March 17 to report two separate theft incidents at the store. Shively filed the charges in the Lewisburg office of District Judge Jeffrey Rowe.

Roser's run-in with Rowe's court is not new. Court records show a retail-theft conviction dating to August 2020. In 2024, state police charged him with stealing 66 packs of Pokémon cards, valued at $208, from a local Sheetz location; a trooper reviewed surveillance that showed Roser pocketing the cards and walking out. In a separate case, state police accused him of taking nearly $100 worth of NFL playing cards from the Lewisburg Walmart on Route AJK Boulevard. Both matters also came before District Judge Rowe's office.

Pennsylvania's retail-theft statute escalates the offense to a felony of the third degree on a third or subsequent conviction, regardless of the dollar value stolen. A felony-three conviction carries a maximum of seven years in prison and fines up to $15,000. Beyond any sentence, a felony record can close doors to employment, professional licensing, and certain housing for years after release.

The case now moves toward a preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine whether probable cause supports advancing the charges to Union County Court of Common Pleas. Given the repeat-offender designation, prosecutors may seek more aggressive terms in any plea negotiations.

WHAT LOCAL MERCHANTS AND SHOPPERS SHOULD KNOW: Call 911 rather than confront a suspect; store employees place themselves at genuine risk by intervening directly. Preserve surveillance footage immediately after any incident. Many security systems overwrite recordings within 30 to 72 hours, and video evidence reportedly formed the backbone of the case against Roser. If you witness a theft, note the subject's physical description and direction of travel and relay those details to responding officers. Reports of retail theft in Lewisburg can be directed to Buffalo Valley Regional Police.