McAdoo man had cooler filled with stolen food

A McAdoo man got into trouble with police twice in the same day.

At 3:10 a.m. July 16, an officer was at the Fegley Mini Mart on South Kennedy Drive, when he saw Thomas Gaughan sitting on a wall outside of the store.

Knowing that Gaughan was banned from the premises because of his shoplifting activities, the officer went to check on the situation. Gaughan had a Fegley's coffee cup and several other items routinely available in the store.

The officer then checked with the clerk, who said Gaughan did purchase the goods. The clerk then checked the store records and learned that Gaughan is permanently banned from the site.

He was cited for defiant trespass.

Later that day, police were contacted by a landlord, concerned that someone was attempting to move into one of his vacant apartments at 212 S. Kennedy Drive. An officer went to the property and found Gaughan with a pile of belongings stacked in the backyard. He claimed to be the tenant.

One of the articles strewed about the yard was a blue Coleman cooler. Gaughan told the officer he didn't know what was inside.

The contents turned out to be $200 worth of frozen food that was reportedly stolen from the Bella Luna Restaurant on July 15.

Gaughan was arraigned before District Judge Stephen Bayer on charges of burglary, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and defiant trespass.

He was taken to the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville, unable to post the $10,000 bail imposed by the judge.