Hearing Set for Wednesday for Franklin Man Accused of Burglary, Criminal Trespass

| December 3, 2019

FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for a Franklin man charges with burglary and related offenses from an incident that occurred at a residence on 6th Street in September.

According to court documents, 63-year-old Richard Lee Riddle, of Franklin, is scheduled to stand for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m on Wednesday, December 4, on the following charges:

– Burglary – Overnight Accommodations; Person Present, Felony 1
– Criminal Trespass-Enter Structure, Felony 3
– Theft By Deception-Failure To Correct, Misdemeanor 3
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1 (three counts)

He is currently free on $10,000.00 unsecured bail.

The charges are the result of an incident that occurred at a residence on 6th Street in Franklin, Venango County.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, on November 14, Lieutenant Campbell, of the Franklin Police Department, spoke to a known woman who stated she purchased a property through a sheriff’s sale and took ownership on August 7, 2019. She stated that on September 29, she received a call from one of her tenants that Richard Riddle had just arrived at the 6th Street residence to remove a washing machine and clothes dryer from the garage. The woman also stated that either that day art a later date, she was missing a cooking stove.

These were items that had once belonged to Riddle, but he made no attempt or any arrangements with the woman to see if he could have the items back since the woman now owned the property. The woman stated she was never notified by the courts or the sheriff department that Riddle would be coming to her property to get the items, the complaint states.

The known woman also explained to Lieutenant Campbell that a vehicle belonging to a known man was in one of the garage stalls, but at the time of her first purchasing the property, she did not know who owned the vehicle. The woman contacted the owner of the vehicle, and he stated that he had been paying Richard Riddle $40.00 a month to store the vehicle. The man stated that he didn’t know the property changed hands, and he had been mailing the money to Riddle monthly. He agreed to pay the woman $40.00 a month to store the car until he sells it; however, she had only received money from the vehicle’s owner for the month of October, according to the complaint.

The woman also stated that in October, she had rented out one of the garage stalls to another family, and when she let them in to show them where they could place their things, she found a Corvette Stingray parked in the garage stall. The woman stated she believes it had been in the garage for about three weeks. The Franklin Police Department contacted the owner of the Corvette, and it was discovered that he was renting the space from Riddle, the complaint indicates.

Riddle was arraigned at 4:10 p.m. on November 21 in Magisterial District Judge Patrick E. Lowrey’s office.


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