Salesman Cheated Glendon Couple, Police Say

”And they never saw or heard from Charlie Sandt again.”

That’s becoming a common refrain from customers of Sandt, a computer guy accused of taking money for computers but not delivering the goods.

Last week, it was revealed that one of the victimized customers was Palmer police themselves – they gave almost $24,000 to Sandt for new computers in 2009 but never received them, court records say.

In February, township police charged the 41-year-old Sandt with taking about $428 from a township resident but not delivering a used router the resident had ordered.

And in a new set of charges, Sandt was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly taking almost $500 from a Glendon couple for a new computer in September 2011 but not delivering it.

It was the couple who told Palmer police “they never saw or heard from Charlie Sandt again,” the records say.

Palmer Sgt. Timothy G. Ruoff writes in a criminal complaint that on Friday afternoon – the day after Sandt was arraigned on the charges involving the police department – he received a call from the couple, who said they paid Sandt $481.25 for a new computer but never received it.

The couple visited township police headquarters the next day. They said they had used Sandt’s services for one and a half years at their home.

In September 2011, they said, Sandt recommended that they buy a new computer to run software that Russell had acquired. Sandt said their existing computer “was outdated and did not have enough memory.”

On Sept. 28, they gave Sandt a check for $481.25 for a new computer. The check was cashed that day, but they never saw or heard from Sandt after that, the complaint says.

Ruoff, who also handled the previous two cases against Sandt, points out that the check was made payable to Sandt, not to his business, Computer Innovations, which was on Northwood Avenue in the township.

Ruoff also writes that the new charges will be incorporated into the two previous Palmer cases against Sandt – the one involving police and the one involving the resident who paid for but never received the used router.

In the police case, Sandt is charged with taking the $24,000 from the township in August 2009 but never delivering five laptops and software that were to be installed in police vehicles.

After taking the check, Sandt went “missing” from not only the police department but his business, the charges say.

Sandt deposited the check in a bank account, and while he was “missing” made withdrawals so that the account’s ending balance had dwindled to $67.01, according to the charges.

In the latest case, Sandt is charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and receiving stolen property. He remained in Northampton County Prison.

Sandt, whose last known address was the 100 block of S. 14th Street in Allentown, was arraigned Tuesday by District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer, who set bail in the latest case at $10,000.