2 men accused of breaking into Digital Foundry construction site in New Kensington to steal tools

New Kensington police have accused two men of breaking into the construction site of Penn State’s new innovation and manufacturing lab along Fifth Avenue to steal tools.

Randy Dean McGuire Jr., 31, of Pipers Road in West Leechburg, and Kevin Paul Pierce, 32, of First Avenue in Hyde Park were each charged with three felony counts of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and criminal attempt to commit burglary, as well as the lesser charge of criminal mischief, in connection with the break-in, according to a criminal complaint.

City police were dispatched to the site of the Digital Foundry on Nov. 22 after receiving a report from a manager for Mosites Construction Co. that tools were removed from the building sometime during the previous three days.

The responding officer noted that a pair of bolt cutters were found near an open gate that the manager said was previously secured, the complaint said.

A toolbox inside the building had the lock cut off and another one had been pried open, police said.

The toolboxes were empty, but workers found the items on the building’s property along Ivy Avenue.

Damage to several power drills that were left out in the rain was valued at $487, according to the complaint.

Officer Paul Manke Jr. noted in the complaint that on the same night as the Digital Foundry burglary, Arnold police investigated the theft of a truck and trailer from Shurina Brothers Landscaping in which a van rented from U-Haul was involved.

After viewing security video, police determined that the van had an Arizona license plate that they were able to track to a U-Haul dealer in Lower Burrell where Pierce rented the vehicle, the complaint said.

Video surveillance on the night of the truck and trailer theft showed the van traveling in the same direction as the stolen vehicles and then parking at Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street in New Kensington.

A man was seen leaving the van and walking to the Digital Foundry site, where he remained for several hours.

The man was then spotted leaving the construction site and walking to the Schreiber Industrial Park, where the landscaping company is located, the complaint said.

When interviewed by investigators, including an agent from the state attorney general’s office, Pierce admitted to being at the construction site with McGuire to steal tools, but said they “got scared off by cars and voices,” according to the complaint.

McGuire also admitted to police that he was at the construction site, but he said he was only there to serve as a lookout while Pierce removed the items.

McGuire provided police with two locations where items stolen from the landscaping company were left so they could be picked up at a later time. Those items were recovered by police.

Both men are being detained in the Westmoreland County Prison after bail was denied at their arraignments.

They both face preliminary hearings before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on Dec. 9. Neither man had an attorney listed in court documents.