CLEARFIELD – A Curwensville man accused of stealing more than $24,000 of metal items from various coal company sites and hunting camps waived his rights to preliminary hearings during centralized court on Feb. 13 and 16.
Brian D. Demi, 43, 39 Lash Court Rd., Curwensville, is charged with theft in five cases; burglary, criminal conspiracy and related charges in two additional cases and receiving stolen property in a separate case. These occurred in five, different Clearfield County townships. His bail was set at $50,000, unsecured in six cases and $5,000, unsecured in two others.
His co-defendant Joseph David McPherson, 49, 202 Mount Joy Rd., Clearfield, faces similar charges. McPherson waived his preliminary hearings in December.
According to the affidavits of probable cause, the crimes took place in July, August and September. On July 30 or 31 they removed several metal items from a coal stripping site in Woodward Township valued at $5,000. They allegedly sold the items for scrap receiving $68.82.
Demi is charged with removing several bulldozer parts from a job site in Woodward Township on Aug. 2. The parts were valued at $8,000 but he received only $239 for selling them as scrap metal.
On Aug. 29 they stopped at a strip mine site in Penn Township where they gained access to a storage shed by prying open the door. They removed several items valued at $775. The next day they sold the items at a local scrap company. Police were able to recover one of the items that had the coal company’s name on it.
Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 they broke the pad locks off two semi-boxed trailers and removed several items valued at $6,840 and caused $40 in damage at a strip mining site in Girard Township.
Between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9 they were at a camp in Pine Township where they removed four steel walkways, a metal fire ring and a trampoline from the property. These were valued at $3,000. The victim was later able to find the items at a local scrap yard. The business was able to identify McPherson as the one who was paid for the items and they said Demi was with him.
On Sept. 13 they entered three, different camps in Goshen Township. From one of these removed a homemade steel cook pot valued at $200. From a second they removed several metal items valued at $173 and from a third they removed copper wire valued at $75.
