Police arrest Hempfield man suspected of thefts from New Stanton vo-tech school

A Hempfield man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal and damaging three vehicles while state police said he trespassed on Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center property.

Officials at the New Stanton school told troopers they had been having issues with scrap metal and vehicle parts being stolen since early January, according to court papers. A school employee reported that the suspect refused to leave the property during a Jan. 7 confrontation.

Surveillance footage from that date showed the man stealing scrap metal.

On Jan. 28 and Feb. 15 and 16, he again was spotted on the property, crawling under a vehicle, entering buildings and leaving with a catalytic converter, according to court papers. A Chevrolet Blazer, Subaru Forester and Cadillac DeVille had parts missing and thousands of dollars in damages, police said.

Troopers identified the person on the video as Jason Allan Edwards, 34, and filed charges against him in late February but were unsuccessful in locating him until last week. Edwards was arraigned Friday in two cases and was being held on $200,000 bail at the Westmoreland County Prison. He is charged with theft, defiant trespass, criminal mischief and burglary.

He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. An April 5 preliminary hearing is set.