FRACKVILLE - A 38-year-old Ashland man charged with stealing an SPCA donation can with $3.03 in it waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Christopher J. Smith, 1014 Centre St., was arrested by Ashland police Sgt. Michael Aulenbach and charged with one misdemeanor count each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property and a summary offense of harassment.
Aulenbach charged Smith after a 6:15 p.m. incident Jan. 6 at Boyer's IGA, 150 E. Centre St.
Aulenbach said Smith entered the store wearing a white, black and gold hoodie, walked to a register and took an empty plastic bag.
Employees watched Smith go into an aisle then return to a checkout area where he picked up a plastic Hillside SPCA donation container with money inside, place it inside the plastic bag and leave the store.
Aulenbach said the three employees followed Smith and saw him get into the passenger side of a gray car.
As the driver, Brian McGinley, was pulling away, Aulenbach said the employees began to yell at Smith, causing McGinley to stop and Smith to get out of the car.
Smith handed the container to a worker, said he was told he could take it and said he would never come back to the store again, Aulenbach said.
Smith then put his arm around the shoulders of one of the female employees and held her for five or 10 seconds before being told by another employee to get his hands off her because he was scaring her, Aulenbach said.
McGinley and another passenger, David Chuplis, both said Smith was given a ride to the store so he could buy a few gallons of iced tea. Both men said Smith jogged out of the store and hopped into the car, saying, "hurry up and go."
At that point, McGinley said he told Smith to get out of the car and would not let him back in, Aulenbach said.
Smith then ran from the area and Aulenbach said that in subsequent interviews, both McGinley and Chuplis said they had no idea that the man was going to steal anything from the store.
Smith is free on $10,000 unsecured bail and will now have to answer to the charges in Schuylkill County Court.