A former Old Forge councilman who pleaded guilty in 2002 to drug possession charges has been charged with stealing equipment left outside a Duryea computer repair shop.
Gregory Preate, 50, of Lakeside Drive, Harveys Lake, is charged with two counts of theft by unlawful taking and one count of receiving stolen property, all third-degree misdemeanors, in connection with separate incidents involving Jerry's Computers on Foote Avenue.
According to arrest affidavits, Jerry Shock, the store's owner, reported a man driving a red pickup had stolen a metal label maker that was outside the front door of his business April 14. Eleven days later, the same man returned and stole a wooden computer desk that was outside the business.
Mr. Shock provided police a video surveillance tape that showed the man loading the label maker and desk into a truck. Mr. Preate was later identified as the person responsible. When contacted by police, Mr. Preate admitted he took the items, saying he believed they were junk that had been left out for trash pickup, the affidavits say.
Mr. Preate served on Old Forge council until October 2002, when he resigned after pleading guilty that March to possessing cocaine. He was sentenced to 28 days to one year in prison, but was immediately released after being given credit for time served at a drug treatment facility.
Duryea police filed separate charges against Mr. Preate on May 5 and June 18. A preliminary hearing for the desk charges is set for July 10, while one for the label-maker charges is set for July 31 before interim Magisterial District Judge Andrew Barilla in Pittston.
Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com