Man accused of armed robberies in Ohio, Crafton now faces similar charges in New Kensington

Authorities have linked a New Kensington man, already in jail in connection with armed robberies in Crafton and Ohio, to a May 2024 incident where, police say, he stole $47,000 of electronics from the AT&T store off Tarentum Bridge Road.

Trey Bell, 31, is charged with robbery, theft, unlawful restraint, possessing instruments of crime and receiving stolen property after, police say, he robbed the AT&T store on May 17, 2024 with a gun, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

Two store employees told police that a man, later identified as Bell, forced his way into the back of the store, showed a revolver and forced the employees to tie their hands together with zip-ties, according to the DA’s office.

Police say Bell stole multiple cellphones and smart watches from the store and told employees to wait 20 minutes after he left before calling police.

Police identified Bell’s vehicle through traffic cameras and license plate readers, the DA’s office said. Investigators found the vehicle was leased to a home health care agency in Penn Hills, and it was recovered within days of the incident.

Through DNA testing and information from surrounding police agencies, authorities identified Bell as the suspect in various armed robberies of phone stores in Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the DA’s office said.

Bell has been in the Allegheny County Jail since last December, after he was arrested in Columbiana, Ohio, in connection to an armed robbery at a phone store there, the DA’s office said.

Authorities connected the electronics to a motel where Bell and another man were arrested.

Bell also faces charges for an armed robbery of a T-Mobile store Dec. 26 in Crafton.

The Crafton case is still in the courts, according to court records. An arraignment on the New Kensington charges has yet to be scheduled.