CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man accused of stealing copper from outside the county courthouse, was sentenced to state prison Monday.
Police say in April 2022, Robert Eugene Litzinger, 57, cut and removed grounding electrode conductors from the rear of the building that faces Healey Avenue and was caught on surveillance video.
After viewing the footage, police who have handled multiple incidents with Litzinger, identified him, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Officers then went to his residence to question him about the theft. He admitted to his actions and said he got “like twenty bucks” for the material.
The cost to replace the electrode conductors and repair the damage was estimated to be $1,014.
Litzinger was scheduled to go to trial on this case in September, but he failed to appear in court that day. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
A second case in which he was charged with misdemeanor counts of flight to avoid apprehension and evading arrest stem from an encounter he had with police in October.
According to that affidavit, someone called authorities to report Litzinger was walking near East Market Street. Police responded to that area and eventually spotted him on Stewart Avenue.
When he saw police, Litzinger ran, leading them on a chase through the West Side of Clearfield. They were unable to locate him until they received another tip of his location near Nichols Street.
Unfortunately, Litzinger again took off running but this time they were able to apprehend him.
The criminal complaint notes that 10 officers from three different law enforcement agencies were involved in the hunt for Litzinger, which spanned two hours.
During court Monday, Litzinger pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of secondary metal and criminal mischief for which President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman sentenced him to serve six months to five years in state prison. He must also pay restitution to the county of $1,014.
Ammerman commented that it was “pretty gutsy” to try cutting wires from the courthouse and near the sheriff’s office, adding that Litzinger should have realized there would be security cameras in that area.
In the second case, Litzinger pleaded guilty to misdemeanor flight to avoid apprehension and evading arrest, and was given a concurrent sentence of three months to two years in state prison.