Frank

From Mirror staff reports

A resident of the state of Indiana is behind bars in Bedford County after being accused of trespassing at a local manufacturing facility.

Jason Leo Frank, 46, of Valparaiso, Indiana, is a suspect in a theft ring targeting metal facilities across the country, according to the affidavit of probable cause. He was taken into custody by state police after his son left him behind and rammed a gate to escape the Kennametal parking lot Monday afternoon, court documents state.

Police were called about 6 p.m. Monday after two unknown men entered the Kennametal Inc. building at 442 Chalybeate Road in Bedford Township. It was reported that a white truck was also on the property. One of the men jumped the fence surrounding the property and fled south on Chalybeate Road toward Bedford, the report states.

Police found the man, who identified himself as Jason Leo Frank, just south of Shed Road. When asked if he had been at Kennametal, Frank said that he was because his son “Tony Frank” went there to purchase a drum to grow marijuana, court documents state.

Frank told police that a different Kennametal location told them to go to the Chalybeate Road location to purchase the drum, though Kennametal denies that claim.

Frank then told police he “jumped the fence when Kennametal employees threatened to kick his ass.”

Police conducted a check of his criminal record and found Frank had several active warrants and he was taken into custody.

During an interview with police, a Kennametal supervisor said employees told him about the suspicious men and he saw them inside the building despite the multiple “no trespassing signs” posted around the property. The supervisor told police the two Franks told him they were there to “pick stuff up,” and then started walking out saying they would come back another time.

T. Frank then got into the driver’s side of the truck and the supervisor continued to question J. Frank about their reason for being on the property. J. Frank then said his daughter was in labor and that he needed to leave and the two asked the supervisor to open the gate. At that time, T. Frank began to drive erratically around the parking lot before eventually driving the truck through the gate, the supervisor told police.

Police were unable to locate T. Frank or the truck, the report states.

In talking with police, J. Frank said his son drove the truck through the gate because his girlfriend was in the truck and was going into labor. Police checked with UPMC Bedford, but were unable to find the younger Frank, the alleged girlfriend or the truck.

In addition, J. Frank said he left his phone in the truck. A man answered the phone when police called the number. The man, who stated he was not in Pennsylvania, claimed to know J. Frank, the report states.

Police believe J. Frank and T. Frank are involved in a theft ring and that J. Frank has an active warrant out of Venango County, where he claimed to be affiliated with the Matrick Group and had arrived at a facility to put up solder dross, which is recyclable. Employees at the facility later learned J. Frank was not affiliated with the company in any capacity and was attempting to steal the solder dross by deception, according to the criminal complaint. J. Frank has multiple warrants out of multiple states for similar conduct, police stated.

In the Bedford County case, J. Frank was arraigned Monday night before Magisterial District Judge Kathy S. Calhoun on a single felony count of criminal trespass. His bail was set at $100,000, and he was remanded to the Bedford County Correctional Facility. His preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 8 in Bedford County Central Court.

In Venango County, J. Frank faces felony charges of criminal trespass and conspiracy – theft related to a Feb. 1, 2022, case. That case is listed as inactive and also lists J. Frank’s address as Elmhurst, Illinois. Other cases listed under J. Frank include a misdemeanor charge of theft filed in Clarion County. That charge was bound over for court in July.

A search of online court documents did not turn up any cases under the name “Tony Frank.”