Published: November 07, 2009 11:16 pm      

Reports conflict in municipal theft case

NORTHERN CAMBRIA — State police say that David Suchar, the Northern Cambria official charged with theft of about $58,000 in copper pipe at taxpayers’ expense, changed his story several times, finally telling investigators that he “traded” the pipe to contractors.

This contradicts an internal report by Wilbur Kelly, a member of Borough Council and the borough’s two water authorities, who wrote that all the copper pipe had been legitimately used for borough purposes.

Kelly’s report is denied not only by state police, but also by others in the borough.

Kelly and other council members are not commenting, citing borough Solicitor Dennis Govachini’s instructions.

“I have no comment at this time,” Kelly said when asked why his report differs from one issued by the state police.

In his private report, Kelly said the pipe was used at 19 construction sites.

Not so, said Matt Barczak, director of the nonprofit NORCAM group listed as being responsible for 300 feet of pipe at one site.

“I cannot think of one NORCAM project that would be,” Barczak said.

Contractor Joseph Kollar, listed in Kelly’s report, also denies taking or even ordering any copper pipe from the borough.

“If anything, once in a while a borough worker will need to buy a piece of pipe from me in an emergency, but that’s it,” he said.

When asked about the apparent discrepancies, Kelly declined comment, again citing Govachini’s instructions.

Suchar is charged with theft and forgery. Council has fired him.

As streets commissioner and supervisor of the two water authorities, Suchar in 2008 earned $46,748, with a benefit package valued at $22,697. The borough paid half and the water authorities paid 25 percent each.

Suchar is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday before District Judge Michael Zungali.

The state police investigation was initiated when the Northern Cambria Municipal Authority and the Spangler Municipal Authority discovered that a large amount of copper pipe was purchased but could not be accounted for and was not stored anywhere.

The pipe was ordered at L/B Water Service in Ebensburg.

State police affidavits show that from January to June 2008, $58,147 worth of pipe was ordered and always picked up by Suchar.

The pipe was soft copper tubing that ranged in length from 60 feet to 200 feet.

According to police documents, Ronald Depto, a worker at the Spangler water authority, told a state police investigator that he was not aware of any jobs in early 2008 that used such pipe. Thomas Yeckley, a worker at the Northern Cambria water authority said the same thing, police documents show.

At L/B Water Service, documents show, an employee told police that Suchar ordered the copper pipe and picked it up in a red Ford pickup.

He told state police that L/B Water employees even advised Suchar that it would be cheaper to buy PVC pipe, but he said Suchar declined.

At various times during the investigation, Suchar is quoted in state police affidavits as saying that the missing copper pipe is “in the ground” to saying that he “traded the copper in question to several different contractors for work that was done by the contractor in Northern Cambria Borough.”

State police said Suchar could not provide specifics and said there were so many he could not remember them all.

Investigators said Suchar insisted that he did not take any money and was “guilty of falsifying, wheeling and dealing and trading.”

Suchar has declined comment.

Borough officials said Suchar did not cooperate by providing information, which contributed to his dismissal before any court verdict.