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A former member of the Pennsylvania College of Technology Police Department was arraigned on felony and misdemeanor charges Monday for allegedly stealing $9,000 worth of tools from two academic buildings on the city campus between March and late July of last year, according to Lycoming County Detective Calvin Irvin.
Justin M. Hakes, 36, of Montoursville, stole the tools from the Bush Campus Center and the college's Automotive Technology Center, two of several buildings he was hired to provide security, court records stated.
Hakes did "sell" the tools for money, Irvin alleged in an affidavit.
It was alleged that Hakes entered a room at the Bush Campus Center and removed an estimated $7,800 in Snap-On tools, Irvin said.
"Hakes is not authorized to enter or remove anything from the room," the detective said in a criminal complaint.
Another $1,490 in tools were allegedly stolen by Hakes from the automotive center, Irvin said in the document.
Through his extensive investigation, Irvin obtained transaction documents that revealed that Hakes sold nearly 30 of the stolen tools on July 18, 2021, for $2,715, the affidavit stated.
On Feb. 25, 2021, and again on May 21, 2021, Hakes did sell a set of stolen tools for $445 and $407, respectively, the investigator alleged in the court document.
Hakes faces charges of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with records or identification, tampering with public records and tampering with physical evidence, Irvin said.
The tampering charges stem from the officer "falsifying" information on his police log sheets, claiming he was doing building checks, but what he was recording was "inconsistent with the time he was (actually) seen in the (campus) building," Irvin alleged. All the charges were filed Monday.
Following his arraignment before District Judge Christian Frey, Hakes was released on $25,000 bail. It was unknown how long Hakes was employed as an officer at the school.
"Hakes is no longer employed by Penn College. The college does not comment on ongoing criminal investigations or personnel matters," the school said in a brief news release.
"When it was determined by a Penn College Police investigation that the allegations involved a Penn College employee, the matter was immediately referred to the Lycoming County District Attorney's Office," the school said in their statement.