Police Find Fugitive Hiding in Vacant Plymouth Home

Steven R. Tattersall was wanted for failing to report to Luzerne County Correctional Facility after his sentencing.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Property Crime

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a boarded-up brick rowhouse with plywood-sealed windows under a grey overcast sky, evoking an empty building. — Steven R. Tattersall, 41, was found hiding in a vacant Plymouth home after failing to report to Luzerne County Correctional Facility following his sentencing. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Police found Steven R. Tattersall, 41, hiding in a second-floor closet of a vacant Plymouth home shortly before 12:30 a.m. Monday, after responding to a burglary report. Tattersall and William Welfel, 61, of Center Avenue, were charged with burglary and theft.

Why it matters

The arrest shows how vacant properties can be used as shelter and become targets for break-ins. It also highlights the consequences of failing to report to a county prison after sentencing.

Tattersall faces two counts each of burglary and theft, criminal trespass, giving false identification to law enforcement, and possession of drug paraphernalia, with bail set at $15,000. Welfel faces burglary and theft charges with bail set at $10,000, and it remains unresolved what further proceedings will follow.

The players

Luzerne County Correctional Facility

The county prison in Pennsylvania where Tattersall was ordered to report after his sentencing, and which he failed to enter.

The details

Officers went to the vacant home after receiving a burglary report and found a rear door propped open with paper towels. Tattersall was located in a second-floor bedroom closet, and police allege he had a glass pipe with burnt residue; the home had no working appliances, plumbing or furniture.

September 2023: A tractor was stolen from Maple Grove Cemetery in Lake Township.
June 30: Tattersall was sentenced in Luzerne County Court and later failed to report to prison.
Early Monday, shortly before 12:30 a.m.: Police found Tattersall and Welfel in the vacant Plymouth home.

Legal Context

Tattersall's case falls under Pennsylvania's county prison sentencing framework, which requires defendants sentenced to terms of seven months to two years to report to the designated facility. Failure to report routinely leads to warrants and arrests like this one.

Residents of Plymouth should be aware that vacant homes can be entered and occupied, so keeping doors and windows secured reduces the risk of trespass and theft. Property owners with unoccupied buildings may want to check their security and report suspicious activity to police.

The takeaway

Securing vacant properties and reporting suspicious activity promptly can help prevent burglaries and unauthorized occupancy in neighborhoods like Plymouth.