Local News

Alleged Lakemont vandals nabbed

Tip led to two men confessing to trespassing, riding go-carts on park property

From Mirror staff reports

Two city men who fled Lakemont Park after allegedly riding go-carts on the grounds and basketball courts have been arrested and charged in not only that case, but in a second break-in at a storage facility, Logan Township police said in a news release.

Nicholas James Dubbs and Caleb Michael Crust, both 23, are accused of entering a gate at Lakemont Park in the early morning hours of Oct. 28 and taking the go-carts on a joy ride.

Police said a person who works at The Casino went outside about 1:30 a.m. and saw people on go-carts driving through the park. The park's general manager unlocked the gate so police could locate the individuals, and police manned a second gate in case the suspects fled, the affidavit of probable cause states.

Police walking through the park located two individuals, one on an electric scooter and the other on a mountain bike, riding fast toward the Casino. They refused to stop for police, who chased them on foot, but the duo escaped when they made it around the Leap the Dips roller coaster, court documents state.

Police found the scooter and bike in a nearby ditch and continued searching for more than an hour to locate the two individuals, later identified as Dubbs and Crust.

According to a previous report, the two caused tens of thousands dollars in damage, including to the surface of the basketball courts, the go-cart tires and a light display.

Logan Township police posted about the incident on the department's Facebook page and received a tip on Nov. 1 that named Dubbs and Crust, noting that Dubbs was homeless while Crust was to be living in Lock Haven.

On Nov. 11, Dubbs contacted police and agreed to come to the station, stating he was living in the woods by the reservoir off Mill Run Road. He never showed up after making two appointments, police said.

Dubbs was eventually interviewed on Nov. 15, when he showed up for a probation meeting. At that time, he allegedly confessed to the Lakemont Park incident and provided police with Crust's Walnut Avenue address.

Dubbs was taken into custody on a probation detainer.

Crust was arrested on Nov. 16, according to a news release from Logan Township police, and also confessed to the Lakemont Park incident.

Police stated a Lakemont Park official provided quotes on the damage, which included $65,000 for the basketball court damage, $5,088 to repaint the courts after the repairs are made and an insurance deductible of $2,500. The remaining damage estimates are still being compiled, the report states.

Police reported that both Dubbs and Crust also confessed to a criminal mischief incident at the park on Oct. 2, as well as a storage unit break-in off Mill Run Road on Oct. 10. Multiple items were taken during the storage unit break-in, causing hundreds of dollars of loss as well as several hundred dollars worth of damage, Logan Township police stated.

For the storage unit incident, Crust was arraigned Friday before Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio on 15 charges, including felony counts of burglary, criminal trespass, criminal conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility. Bail was set at $75,000 in that case.

In the Lakemont Park incident, Crust was arraigned Thursday night before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on felony charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief, along with a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest and a summary charge of criminal trespass. Bail was set at $75,000.

Unable to post $150,000 total bail, Crust was remanded to the Blair County Prison. His preliminary hearings in both cases are set for Nov. 30 before Dunio.

Dubbs was arraigned Thursday afternoon before Dunio on charges related to the Lakemont Park incident.Those charges include felony counts of criminal trespass and criminal mischief, along with a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest and a summary charge of criminal trespass. Dubbs was also arraigned on charges in the storage unit break-in, with bail set at $75,000, court documents show.

Unable to post $150,000 total bail, he was remanded to the Blair County Prison. His preliminary hearings are also set for Nov. 30 before Dunio.