Four men are behind bars with bail denied after an investigation into the theft of the Altoona Rescue Mission’s metal donation containers led to the discovery of about $90,000 in missing containers and trailers full of stolen donations.

Escobar Argueta, 32, and Gomez Palacios, 32, both from Frederick, Maryland; Hugo Pastora, 46, from Manassas, Virginia; and Villatoro Reyes, 31, of Altoona, were arraigned June 23 by Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on identical charges that include single felony counts of corrupt organizations, theft and receiving stolen property.

They were remanded to the Blair County Prison with bail denied due to public safety and being flight risks, online court documents state.

Logan Township police were contacted June 22 by Altoona police regarding a theft investigation into the Altoona Rescue Mission’s clothing donation containers. Officers were told by the Mission’s president that several of their containers were stolen from multiple locations throughout Altoona, with the most recent container being stolen from Rural King at 532 West Plank Road. The Mission’s president said that, due to the string of thefts, a tracking device was concealed in the container taken from Rural King. The device showed the container was taken to a warehouse along the 1900 block of Ninth Avenue, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

On scene, an employee gave officers permission to walk through the building, where they observed a large number of donation containers consistent with those described by the Mission president. The containers appeared to be in various stages of being repainted. Officers also located a surveillance system with several cameras monitoring the building’s interior, the police report states.

While officers were on scene, Argueta, Palacios, Pastora and Reyes arrived at the warehouse in a white box truck and white van. They allegedly told officers they were leasing the property and owned the surveillance system, the report states.

Officers located the Mission’s donation container taken from Rural King in the back of the box truck, with two of the Mission’s other stolen containers being found on scene. A search warrant was subsequently executed on the property and vehicles, leading to the discovery of about 42 additional storage containers belonging to various agencies throughout the country. With each container valued at about $2,000, officers estimated the total estimated value of the containers to be about $90,000, the report states.

Officers also found about four semi-truck trailer loads of donated merchandise on the property, along with large amounts within the facility. The items are to be cataloged, with officers noting the four men’s charges were “likely to be amended after additional investigation,” according to the affidavit.

Online court documents state that the four are scheduled for preliminary hearings July 24 in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio.