Jun 27, 2002 By Paul Sunyak 3 min read

Unable to track down any proper disposition of five missing refrigerators, the Fayette County Housing Authority reported the apparent theft to state police Wednesday. Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless confirmed that state police were notified after the authority’s project managers, tasked with double-checking their paperwork, found no evidence of any proper installation of the new appliances.

Harkless had imposed a Wednesday afternoon deadline for the authority to turn up any evidence that the refrigerators were properly removed from an inventory storage building at the Bierer Wood Acres housing complex in South Union Township.

“We didn’t get the paperwork on the five refrigerators, so we called the state police,” said Harkless. “Obviously, we had started internally looking. We’re going to accelerate that (effort) so we’ll be able to help the state police in their investigation.”

The appliances were discovered missing the first week of June by a maintenance department employee. Harkless then gave the project managers until yesterday to find any legitimate use of the missing appliances. When that didn’t happen, he followed through on an earlier pledge to call police and report the crime.

In a new development, Harkless said that he heard “second hand” that one of two portable electronic fence openers – similar to the garage door openers used by many homeowners – was also missing. That admission supports a contention made by a housing authority source on Monday.

“They believe one of those (portable openers) is missing,” said Harkless.

The portable opener could have given someone access to the gate on the perimeter fence that surrounds the storage building. Harkless said the gate also contains a keypad where someone who knows the code can gain access by punching in the proper numbers.

However, Harkless said that even if that happened, two additional layers of security needed to be breached. He said someone would have needed a key to the door of the building and would have had to know the code to turn off the burglar alarm.

“It takes a code to open the fence, there are only so many keys to open the door, and there are only so many people who know the codes to turn off the burglar alarm. We can narrow it down for the police,” said Harkless, who added, “Just by talking to the neighbors, the state police may be able to narrow it down even more.”

Of the 100 or so employees at the housing authority, Harkless said perhaps 20 to 25 that have the requisite combinations to gain access. He said the authority’s internal investigation would focus on electronic tracking of access activity in the storage facility.

“You can see who used what codes when. Good old computers these days,” said Harkless.

The investigation will also center on use of authority trucks, as moving five refrigerators would by necessity require a large vehicle for hauling. “We’ve got records on all this stuff, I’m telling you,” said Harkless.

He said that if the investigation shows that any employees were involved, he and the board of directors would decide an appropriate punishment, up to and including dismissal.

“Myself and the board can reprimand up to the point of termination,” he said. “As it stands right now, we don’t have 100 percent of everything. But we’re narrowing it down.

“We’re not law enforcement here; we’re just an employer. We can do our part to help, but on the criminal side it comes down to the police and the courts to do their thing.”