Theft suspect arrested
CLARKSVILLE – A Dilliner man who is awaiting trial on numerous theft-related charges stemming from an alleged burglary in July was arrested Wednesday on charges he stole a total of nearly $25,000 in materials from a railway company in Clarksville. Frank Craig Deluca, 48, was arraigned Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Lee Watson on 25 separate counts each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and one count of criminal conspiracy to commit theft.
The charges were formally filed last month by the Norfolk Southern Railway Police Department following an investigation of numerous reported thefts of railroad track materials owned by Norfolk Southern from its Mon Line in Clarksville.
According to the criminal complaint, Special Agent Benjamin C. Wolfson of the Norfolk Southern police received a report on July 26, 2008, by an off-duty employee of a theft in progress at the Mon Line. The employee reported seeing three suspects stealing tie plates and placing them in the back of a green pickup truck.
The railway company contacted state police in Waynesburg and asked them to check the area, but by the time troopers arrived at the scene, the suspects were gone, the complaint states.
On July 27, 2008, state police contacted Wolfson and reported that they had two men in custody after they were allegedly found in possession of stolen track material belonging to Norfolk Southern. Deluca was identified as one of the suspects, the complaint states.
Police said after they received the call, they spotted the green pickup truck on railroad property and noticed that the truck’s registration had been altered. Police stopped the truck and found it filled with tie plates stolen from Norfolk Southern, and the men were taken into custody, according to reports.
Deluca and the other suspect admitted to stealing the materials from the railway on July 26-27, 2008, and taking the materials to a recycling business in Mt. Morris, the complaint states.
Agents then interviewed a Norfolk Southern supervisor responsible for the Mon Line, who reported that large amounts of track materials had been stolen from the Clarksville area on multiple occasions.
On July 30, 2008, Norfolk Southern agents interviewed a scale operator at the recycling business, who reported that he had received railroad track materials on numerous occasions for several weeks from Deluca and three other men, the complaint states.
He also said he knew the men, and that Deluca had told him he was working for a railroad contractor and had permission to scrap the items. Deluca also gave him a business card from Atlas Railroad Construction, the company that he claimed to be employed with, police said.
The employee also provided agents with several receipts dated June 30, 2008, through July 20, 2008, which were all for the sales of railroad track material, police said.
Agents inspected the materials at the recycling business and reportedly found several new and used railroad tie plates, spikes and anchors, including several that were identified as belonging to Norfolk Southern.
On Aug. 13, agents went to Deluca’s residence for questioning, and when they arrived they observed a green pickup truck that contained a new railroad spike and other materials in the truck bed, the complaint states.
Another resident approached the agents and reported that Deluca had told her he had permission from a Norfolk Southern employee to take the railroad track material, according to reports.
On Aug. 15, Norfolk Southern agents contacted Atlas Railroad Construction of Eighty Four, and a company representative reported that Deluca had been employed by Atlas for one week in May but was not presently employed by the company. The representative also told agents that the business card Deluca presented to the recycling business belonged to another Atlas employee, the complaint states.
The Atlas representative also said Deluca had no authority by Atlas to take any railroad track material to a scrap yard.
Agents then contacted Norfolk Southern to see if the company had previously contracted any work or removal of track material with Atlas, which a Norfolk Southern representative denied, police said.
Agents said the total value of loss to Norfolk Southern from the stolen items was $24,454.
Following arraignment on Wednesday, Deluca was placed in Greene County Prison on $75,000 straight bail. He has been scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Glenn Bates for his preliminary hearing on the 51 counts on Sept. 21.
This was not the first time Deluca has been arrested on theft charges.
State police arrested him on July 7 and charged him with one count of burglary and five counts each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. He also was cited for not having a valid registration.
Deluca was charged with stealing a generator and other items from a construction site in Franklin Township on July 6, according to the criminal complaint filed in Bates’ office.
Trooper John Simko indicated that Deluca was pulled over a short distance from the Norco Construction site on Route 21, and alleged that he had the stolen equipment in the bed of his truck.
Simko indicated that Deluca and an unidentified second person cut the padlock off a storage trailer around 10:30 p.m. July 6.
Police said that, in addition to the generator, the suspects stole spools of electric wire.
Following arraignment, Deluca was committed to prison on $20,000 percentage bond and was later released. During his preliminary hearing before Bates on Aug. 12, he waived all the charges to court. He is now awaiting trial on those charges.