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KINGSTON — A woman from Mountain Top scheduled to appear in Luzerne County Court later this week on allegations she stole a vehicle in Fairview Township was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly ransacking an auto repair garage and stealing a vehicle in Kingston.
Imani Batista, 19, address listed as Fairview Park, Fairview Township, used a brick to smash a window at Kelly Transmissions on Market Street and stole a 2017 Hyundai Accent early Sunday morning, according to court records.
Surveillance cameras recorded Batista loitering at the garage from 2:30 a.m. to 4:35 a.m. attempting to open locked windows using windshield wipers she removed from other vehicles, court records say.
Batista then allegedly entered the garage by smashing a window with a brick and stealing keys to the 2017 Hyundai and a Jeep Wrangler before driving off with the Hyundai.
Wilkes-Barre police detained Batista when she was spotted driving the stolen Hyundai, court records say.
Batista admitted to police, court records say, she burglarized the garage and stole the vehicle.
Batista was arraigned by District Judge Joseph J. Carmody of West Pittston on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief. She was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
Court records say Batista is scheduled to appear before Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas on Friday on charges filed by Fairview Township police she stole a 2013 Nissan Versa from a residence on Park Lane North on Nov. 23, 2023.
Batista used a bank card left in the stolen Nissan at stores in Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes-Barre Township, court records say.
In another case in Lackawanna County, Scranton police charged Batista with hindering apprehension, disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness due to an incident on May 24. She was released on the Scranton police charges on $5,000 unsecured bail, court records say.