Harrison man to stand trial on charges he used stolen driver's license, bank card to steal $7K

A Harrison man accused of using a stolen driver’s license and bank card to withdraw more than $7,000 from the owner’s accounts has been ordered to stand trial.

Rodney Gaschler, 57, of Walnut Street was charged Nov. 6 with felony counts of forgery,receiving stolen property and access device fraud.

Several other charges were dropped at a Nov. 22 preliminary hearing before District Judge Carolyn Bengel, according to court records.

Gaschler waived his right to a preliminary hearing for the remaining charges, and Bengel ordered Gaschler to stand trial in Allegheny County Court. Formal arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 10.

He was released on his own recognizance following his arrest.

A Harrison police detective wrote in a criminal complaint that on Oct. 16 a man reported someone walked into the First National Bank on Union Avenue and withdrew $4,300 from his business account.

The man said another $3,000 was stolen from his personal account by someone who walked into the First National Bank branch in New Kensington, the complaint said.

The man told police that, sometime during the two weeks before the bank withdrawals, his vehicle was broken into at his home. His driver’s license and business bank card were in the wallet that was stolen, the complaint said.

The bank’s fraud department told investigators that in both incidents, a man walked into the bank branch, filled out a withdrawal slip and presented it to a teller along with a driver’s license for identification, the complaint said.

The bank gave police security camera photos that showed an older white man wearing a gray shirt making the withdrawals, according to the complaint.

When the detective showed the photo to other officers in the department, several identified him as Gaschler, the complaint said.

According to court records, Gaschler’s criminal history lists only an arrest for DUI by Fawn police in August 2022.

In February, Gaschler was convicted of two counts of DUI. One of the counts was for having a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit to drive, according to court records.

He was ordered to pay fines and court fees, and his license was suspended for at least 60 days.

He was permitted to participate in a 12-month Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program that allows the charges to be expunged when completed.

At the request of an ARD probation officer, a judge can revoke a person’s eligibility for the program if they are charged with a crime, according to the state Office of Victim Services.