Two 18-year-old Centre County residents are facing charges for allegedly stealing two State College Area School District vehicles, damaging windows at multiple buildings in the borough and attempting to break into a downtown business.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday by borough police, Norman P. Ghaner, of Boalsburg, Cameron M. Goodman, of State College, and a 16-year-old student put on ski masks as they approached the State High parking lot at about 6 p.m. on Saturday. They then got into a district-owned 2012 Ford truck and drove away, with Ghaner behind the wheel, Goodman in the passenger seat and the 16-year-old in the back, police wrote.
The three friends returned in the stolen truck four hours later and Goodman got out and took a 2005 Ford F-450 dump truck, according to the complaint.
All three were identifiable on surveillance footage, according to the complaint, and the juvenile allegedly confirmed to police that he, Ghaner and Goodman were the individuals seen on the video.
Just after midnight on Monday, they traveled in the stolen white Ford truck to Smoke Valley, 116 E. College Ave., where Goodman and the 16-year-old punched and kicked the glass door until it shattered while Ghaner remained in the vehicle, police wrote. The juvenile told police that they were attempting to break in but fled because they thought someone saw them, according to the complaint.
A State College officer then spotted the truck turning off of Discovery Drive in Boalsburg onto U.S. Route 322. After the officer turned on his lights and sirens and began to pursue, the truck sped up and turned onto Somerset Drive, where the three abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, police wrote.
Police also said the three suspects were responsible for damaging windows with a pellet gun on the 200 blocks of Logan and West Foster avenues during the early morning hours on Monday. A witness spotted a white work truck driving away after hearing a shot, and a parental application on the phone of the 16-year-old’s father placed the juvenile in the area at the time of the incident, according to the complaint.
Ghaner was charged with felony counts of theft, conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit burglary, misdemeanor counts of fleeing an officer and corruption of minors and summary offenses of conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and driving without a license.
He was arraigned on Wednesday night by District Judge Casey McClain, who set unsecured bail at $7,500.
An arrest warrant was issued for Goodman on felony charges of theft, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and attempted burglary and misdemeanor charges of corruption of minors and criminal mischief.
It was not clear if the 16-year-old has been referred to juvenile court.
