Joseph Czap
BOARDMAN — Police arrested a Poland man on Tuesday, more than a year after he allegedly traded his worn sneakers for a new pair of expensive riding boots at a local retail store.
Joseph Czap, 70, faces misdemeanor theft charges in two neighboring townships following his arrest outside a Boardman business.
The charges stem from a June 2025 incident at a store inside the Southern Park Mall. According to police reports, an older man entered the business, walked to a vendor booth, and removed his own shoes. He then tried on a pair of black Harley Davidson riding boots. The boots featured distinct laces, buckles, and red stitching.
Store records show the man then walked past the cash register and left the property wearing the new boots. He left behind a pair of black, size 11 Skechers athletic shoes. Store employees discovered the old shoes in the vendor booth and contacted the Boardman Police Department, providing investigators with surveillance video and photographs of the suspect. Authorities subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest.
More than a year later, employees at an eyewear business on Boardman-Poland Road recognized Czap inside their store and realized he was wanted by local authorities. Workers immediately notified the police, but Czap left the building before officers arrived at the scene.
Police found Czap walking behind a nearby restaurant and coffee shop. Officers detained him after a brief physical struggle, during which police noted he had trouble hearing their verbal instructions. Paramedics later treated Czap at the police station for a minor wrist cut received during the arrest process.
Records show Czap had active arrest warrants for theft from both the Boardman and Austintown police departments. Following his arrest, Boardman officers processed Czap and transferred him to the custody of Austintown police officers.
Czap appeared in court on Wednesday morning for an arraignment on a separate theft charge from April 2026. He remains scheduled for a second arraignment in a Boardman court on Thursday afternoon to face the initial boot theft charge.