It appears that businesses containing skill gaming machines have become catnip to thieves in the area.

"Somerset has had numerous burglaries involving businesses with games of skill machines," according to Stephen Limani, state police public informations officer.

Tidy Whities Laundry, North Center, Somerset Borough; and Roof Garden Market, Stoystown Road, Somerset Township, had their games of skill machines broken into over recent weeks.

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The latest such theft charged as an armed robbery in Somerset County occurred early Sunday afternoon in Meyersdale Borough when allegedly a 39-year-old Berlin man brandishing what appeared to be a semi automatic handgun robbed Winning Wayz, along Center Street.

The business operates a game room that has state games of skill machines, according to a state police criminal complaint filed against Brandon Thomas.

An employee at Winning Wayz said a man wearing all black entered the business wearing a mask and gloves displaying a black gun pointed toward the floor, according to police.

"He said the actor (accused) told him and a customer to get on the ground and told the employee to give him the money," according to trooper Daniel Kephart in the probable-cause affidavit attached to the police criminal complaint against Thomas.

The masked man then picked up the money lock box and tried to pound it open, prior to the employee giving him the key to open the box, police said.

Thomas then opened the box, took $337 and fled.

No one was physically hurt.

According to the affidavit, immediately after the man left the business with the money, the employee went outside to see what direction the robber had went. He saw another man he knew outside who had witnessed the robbery and asked him if he saw which way the alleged robber had went. The man said he went toward Dale Street and got into a black Jeep. The man then told the employee that he took down the license plate and gave him the information.

Meanwhile, the owner, Margaret Durst, called Robert Soldan and asked him to check on the employee and make sure he was OK. Soldan called the employee and got the license plate on the black Jeep. Soldan told police he was en route to Winning Wayz when he saw the alleged robber coming out of Sheetz walking toward the Jeep.

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"He said he told him he knew he was the guy that just robbed the game room. He said he asked him where the money was at. He said he (Thomas) told him it was in the back of it," Kephart wrote.

Thomas gave Soldan the money box. Then Soldan asked for his name and Thomas gave it to him and showed him an ID card to verify who he was.

Thomas then got into the Jeep and drove off, police said.

Later Thomas allegedly threw out a "C11" BB gun along Route 219 southbound Meyersdale exit, which Kephart wrote was probably the weapon employees at Winning Wayz saw believing it was a semi automatic handgun.

Police located and arrested Thomas at an address along Cumberland Highway. Thomas showed police where he threw the gun and it was recovered, according to the affidavit.

Thomas is charged with felonies, armed robbery and aggravated assault; misdemeanors, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, simple assault, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon; and summary charges of depositing waste on highway, harassment, disorderly conduct and driving while operating privileged suspended or revoked.

His preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday before Meyersdale District Judge Douglas McCall Bell was continued because he did not have representation. Thomas is awaiting a hearing in Somerset County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond placed by oncall Somerset District Judge Ken Johnson during Thomas' arraignment last Sunday.

On Aug. 18, at about 4 a.m., police investigated a break-in at Roof Garden Market.

Two unknown males had used a large rock to break the glass front door and subsequently damage a PA Games of Skill machine to steal the interior cash box, according to state police.

One of the masked and gloved men caught on store surveillance footage wore a sweatshirt, believed to be dark blue, with a large “SAND BAR” logo on the front, Limani wrote in an email.

The state police are "requesting the public’s help with identifying the actors involved in this case," he wrote.

Anyone with information can contact the local state police barracks at 814-445-4104.