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Coal Center man behind bars for theft of scrap metal in Monessen

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read

Charges were filed against a Coal Center man after he allegedly stole scrap metal from a Monessen building last week.

Mac Molek, 38, of 250 Grange Road was charged with theft of secondary metal, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property by Monessen Police on Friday.

The charges were filed after Monessen police were en route to a service call when an officer saw a man later identified as Molek loading a piece of pipe in his truck along Shoonmaker Avenue at 2:45 p.m. March 9.

The officer observed Molek running to his truck and speeding away from the area, at which various building materials were stored.

The officer conducted a traffic stop on Molek’s truck and questioned Molek, who denied stealing anything.

He reportedly told police a piece of scrap fell out of his truck and he retrieved it.

Molek’s truck bed contained a rusted iron gas pipe with a green regulator, flex hose and yellow pipe, police said.

Police spoke to the owner of the building who told them a large amount of iron pipe was stolen. The owner also reported he was missing the green regulator, flex hose and yellow pipe that was observed in Molek’s truck, police said.

The officer then contacted Monongahela Iron and Metal to notify them of the stolen materials.

Police said an employee reported Molek scrapped iron pipe there earlier and had just returned with a second load of materials.

The officer asked the employee to stall Molek, and went to the business with an officer from Monongahela.

There, Molek was taken into custody.

A cashier provided a receipt of the items that Molek scrapped that totaled $99.20 worth of cast iron pipe, which was set aside for the rightful owner to retrieve.

According to the criminal complaint, Molek confessed to stealing the pipe while being recorded on the police dash camera.

Molek is lodged in the Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $35,000.

He’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Dalfonso at 10:15 a.m. March 23.

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