Joseph Campione Turns Himself In As Cancer Patient's Donation Jar Thief (VIDEO)

Man Turns Himself In As Cancer Donation Jar Thief

A suburban Chicago man turned himself in Thursday after surveillance video showing him snatch a donation jar intended to benefit a local woman battling cancer went public.

Joseph Campione, 44, of Palos Heights, was charged with felony theft after surrendering himself at the Crestwood, Ill. police station, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Just before Dec. 5 on Dec. 5, Campione allegedly entered a Shop Mart convenience store at 13650 Cicero Ave. In the surveillance video released by police, the man can be seen making a purchase and, when the store clerk turns away from the counter, grabbing the donation jar and leaving the store immediately.

The jar contained money donated to help Kelly Stawicki, a 28-year-old Alsip, Ill. woman with stage 3 colon cancer, pay her medical bills. Stawicki is uninsured and has racked up tens of thousands of dollars worth of bills as she undergoes treatments.

According to CBS, Campione has a criminal record dating back to 1993, including a retail theft conviction in 1994 and other charges of obstructing justice, deceptive practice and theft which were all ultimately dropped.

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