Conshohocken officer charged in thefts from parking meters

A Conshohocken police sergeant has been suspended without pay after admitting he stole hundreds of dollars in coins collected from borough parking meters, prosecutors said.

Antony Santoro, a 22-year veteran of the force, confessed to skimming quarters by the handful from parking collection funds on at least 14 occasions, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said.

Before his arrest Tuesday, investigators found $386 in coins that Santoro allegedly took while on patrol with the borough's parking enforcement officers and hid in his personal vehicle during one day's patrol.

In a statement released Tuesday, Police Chief Michael Orler said such actions amounted to a betrayal of the trust of fellow officers, and more important, a betrayal of the trust the community places in its police.

Prosecutors said Santoro first came under suspicion in July when, after assisting parking officers on their rounds, he was seen transferring a stuffed manila envelope from his patrol unit to his personal car.

County detectives later trailed him and observed him taking coins from collection bins when parking officers weren't looking, prosecutors said.

Santoro is charged with multiple counts of theft, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, and receiving stolen property.