A Bradford man was arraigned Thursday for burglary and theft allegations that are related to an alleged intentional truck fire.
James E. Bunce, 31, of 172 High St., is charged in the new case with conspiracy to commit burglary, theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking, all second-degree felonies; and two counts each of receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property.
Bunce was arraigned before district Judge Dominic Cercone and committed to McKean County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail on the new charges.
He was already incarcerated on an ongoing arson case in which he is accused of setting fire to a pickup truck on June 29 on Songbird Road, Bradford Township. The truck was reported stolen from Houston, Pa., on June 25.
According to the new criminal complaint, at 11:04 p.m. June 28, three men arrived in a pickup truck at Stoney North Enterprises Inc.; two exited the truck, took large rocks out of the truck bed, which they used to break the glass in the main entrance door, and entered the store.
They took several pieces of power equipment: five Husqvarna chainsaws, a Husqvarna power cutter and a Poulan chainsaw, worth a total of $2,971.74, court records stated.
“Based on the surveillance video these males appeared to know exactly where the saws were, kept, and how they were stored,” the complaint stated.
Bunce served as the driver and stayed in the truck during the burglary, court records indicated.
The surveillance footage also showed two men entering the store earlier in the day while the store was open; the men looked at the same equipment that was later stolen and did not purchase anything.
At the time of the burglary, Bunce had an active warrant for his arrest after escaping from a court-ordered halfway house setting; he was alleged to have escaped with two other men: Washington, Pa., residents Michael Randolph and James Hammond Jr., the complaint stated.
Bradford City Police who were investigating the burglary talked to Bradford Township Police, who reported they were investigating an arson on East Songbird Road of a 2013 Toyota Tacoma — the same make and model of the truck used in the burglary.
According to court records, police used additional surveillance footage from the Kwik Fill on U.S. Route 219 and the Bradford Area School District bus garage, along with interviews with witnesses, to identify Bunce and connect him to the arson. The three men are also suspected in a camp burglary in Rew in which the following items were allegedly taken: a KTM motorcycle, TVs, an air compressor, microwaves and a gas leaf blower.
Bunce knew the camp owner, Edward Panighetti, and police learned Bunce had hard feelings against Panighetti and recently told someone he wanted to get revenge, the complaint stated.
Police officers went to talk to Bunce at the McKean County Jail after he was picked up on the parole warrant, but he refused to talk to them.
A state parole agent informed police that Randolph and Hammond were since apprehended, and that both men, as well as Bunce, served time in state prison together and were in a gang there called the “Pale Kings”; Randolph was also in a gang called the “215,” according to court records.
They allegedly tried to sell Panighetti’s motorcycle to Gary Reid on June 28; the man did not purchase it because it was stolen, according to the complaint. When they asked what he would buy, he told them chainsaws.
“Reid stated that he did not know that they were going to commit a burglary at Stoney North in order to get the chain saws, but that is in fact what they did,” the complaint stated.
On June 29, Reid purchased some of the power equipment in exchange for $400; however, the three did not tell Reid the items were stolen, and he did not find out until after he bought them, court records stated.
Court records indicate Randolph and Hammond face similar charges to Bunce in the burglary case, but they have yet to be arraigned.
Bunce is set to appear in Central Court on Nov. 29.
