A now former State College parking enforcement officer is facing felony charges after he allegedly stole $3,338 from parking meters over a three-month period.
Steven R. Raybuck, 54, of Port Matilda, was charged on Thursday with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, both graded as third-degree felonies. According to a borough news release, he was interviewed by police on May 15 and admitted to stealing public funds. Raybuck was terminated the same day.
The investigation continued after that to obtain additional evidence
Raybuck was arraigned on Thursday afternoon before District Judge Carmine Prestia, who set unsecured bail at $5,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
State College has recently upgraded its downtown on-street meters and the new technology has enabled the parking department to better audit parking funds. According to the borough, that added oversight led the department to discover discrepancies in revenue collected meters. Parking officials immediately contacted State College police, which reviewed evidence and allegedly confirmed Raybuck was stealing money from the meters.
According to a criminal complaint, Parking Manager Rick Ward first discovered the thefts on April 5 and as the investigation continued audited meters from March through May. Ward identified one potential time of theft on May 7 and reviewed corresponding surveillance video.
The video allegedly showed Raybuck’s vehicle parked in front of meters where the thefts occurred. Police said that in an interview with a detective, Raybuck admitted using a key he was not authorized to have to access downtown meters between March and May.
Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said in a statement that police and the parking department worked together to investigate.
“The Borough of State College takes its responsibility of properly handling public funds very seriously and the theft of funds will not be tolerated,’ Fountaine said. ‘Integrity, honesty, accountability, transparency and high professional standards are the foundation of our organization, and I expect every staff member to be guided by these values… I want to assure the community that we have taken swift and appropriate actions to address this issue, and we will seek full restitution of the funds.”‘
Further safeguards are in the process of being implemented to supplement existing meter security.
“The proper handling of parking funds is one of the fundamental responsibilities of my department, and I expect every member of my staff to keep that in mind and act accordingly at all times,’ Parking Director Rick Ward said. ‘Promptly after noticing the discrepancies, I began working with the Police Department to discover the cause and I am grateful for their collaboration in getting to the bottom of this matter.”
This story will be updated.
