[StBernard] Man booked for trying to renovate girlfriend's home with stolen items

[Westley Annis]

Man booked for trying to renovate girlfriend's home with stolen items 

08:34 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Michael Luke / WWL-TV.com Writer 

A Chalmette man was booked by St. Bernard police for burglary after
allegedly using stolen items to renovate his girlfriend's home, St. Bernard
police spokesman Steve Cannizzaro said in a statement. 

Jason Hartwick, 29, told police he had bought the home remodeling items, but
police believe that he stole the items from a house on Moss Lane in Violet
after they had been installed, such as $10,000 worth of cabinets and
carpeting that had been cut from the floors, police said. 

Other stolen items were discovered and recovered from the home of Hartwick's
girlfriend, who had not moved in yet, police said, adding that these items
were from another home. 

The cabinets that Hartwick had allegedly stolen from the home in Violet are
what helped get Hartwick caught by police.  The victim had had the cabinets
custom made and asked the store employees to let him know if anyone came
looking for trim that would fit those cabinets, police said. 

A store employee was able to help the victim and police identify Hartwick
after he came in asking about the same type of cabinets.