Theft charges filed against a Cheektowaga, N.Y., man were bound to McKean County Court on Wednesday.
Nicholas J. Kelley, 25, of 32 Winkler St., appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Richard Luther on four counts of theft by unlawful taking, all first-degree misdemeanors, court records stated.
Court records said that on Sept. 7, 2016, Kelley told Foster Township Police that he left appliances in an apartment at 1257 E. Main St., which he had been renting from Hometown Rental Agency. Kelley told them he had moved out of the apartment a few days before and couldn’t get in to retrieve his appliances — a washer, dryer, stove and refrigerator — as the locks had been changed.
Police then talked to landlord Dan Norgrove, who said he had been trying to contact Kelley for several days about paying rent but couldn’t reach him. Norgrove received a call from a neighbor, who wanted to advise him that vehicles were coming to Kelley’s apartment after dark and being loaded with items, court records indicated.
Norgrove went to the residence to speak with Kelley, only to find that several appliances — all owned by Norgrove — including a washer, dryer, stove and refrigerator from the apartment and a spare washer and dryer from the garage, were missing, according to court records.
When police contacted Kelley again, he allegedly stated that Norgrove had given him permission to take the items to the junkyard to be scrapped for money; Norgrove told police he had not given Kelley permission to get rid of the items.
Kelley is free on $5,000 unsecured bail, according to court records.
