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Three city men are behind bars after allegedly burglarizing multiple storage units over a period of four days.
Nicholas Allen Crocitto, 29, Michael W. Elvey II, 39, and Casey Dewayne Sheppard, 48, were arraigned Tuesday by Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on identical felony counts of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and criminal trespass, as well as single misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property. Crocitto and Elvey also face a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The three men were remanded to the Blair County Prison in lieu of their respective $50,000 bails.
The cases were filed against the men Nov. 2 after Blair County dispatch notified Logan Township police of past burglaries at 4 L's Storage at 1833 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd. from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. The property owners reported the burglaries when they watched security footage and saw multiple units be burglarized or attempt to be burglarized, with the suspects cutting padlocks and replacing them with their own, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Officers received another call Nov. 2 from the property owner stating a vehicle from a previous burglary was at the storage facility and that they were watching multiple individuals forcing entry into a storage unit through live security footage. Officers detained the individuals, identified as Crocitto, Elvey and Sheppard, the police report states.
In a search of Elvey, officers found a bag containing suspected methamphetamine and a large-capacity handgun magazine. Officers also found a pipe containing suspected meth residue on Crocitto's person. A K-9 officer was deployed to perform a sniff test on the vehicle and alerted officers to the presence of controlled substances. A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded drug paraphernalia, five backpacks, five satchel bags, two duffle bags, two medical bags, a tactical plate carrier, a motorcycle helmet, a gun cleaning kit, a brown bag containing ammunition, two tools, a flashlight, an AR bump stock, a tactical magazine, a pry bar, a 9mm magazine and five stainless steel padlocks. Officers estimated the stolen property to be worth about $1,000, the report states.
Under questioning, Crocitto said they were at the facility retrieving property from an unknown individual's storage unit. Crocitto said Elvey cut the padlock to the unit and he then entered with Elvey to retrieve multiple items. Elvey told officers he was there to switch locks and retrieve firearms from the unit for a friend. The renter of the unit denied authorizing anyone to enter the unit, the report states.
Sheppard told officers he drove Elvey to the facility Nov. 2 and previous days so Elvey could access the unit. Elvey said he believed the unit was owned by a friend and told officers he had broken into the unit because that friend had allegedly attempted to break into his house days prior. Elvey also told officers that Sheppard was aware of the burglaries, saying Sheppard was eager to burglarize multiple units due to recently being laid off work, the report states.
Crocitto said he was mostly there to retrieve what he believed to be his belongings in reference to the ammunition and firearm accessories. A criminal background check performed on the three men show that they all had in-depth criminal histories, including prior convictions for theft-related offenses.
Crocitto, Elvey and Sheppard are scheduled for preliminary hearings Nov. 12 in front of DeAntonio.