BURGLARY ACQUITTAL
Ed prepping for trial at Attorney Freeman's office
The bar tender said that Ed was parked out in the open of the club.
The covered Burglar on the right.
Ed's case
Ed was a member of a local social club. He was also an officer there as well. He had been a member for some years. He always participated in social activities of the club.
On the night of Sunday July 28, 2019, Ed went to the club to meet with some friends and have a soda. Maybe he played some of their ticket games. It was an ordinary night as he sat at the bar talking with friends. He would go home with one friend following him.
Later that evening after the social club had closed, someone broke into the club. The person was covered in a blanket and walked in front of a security camera. This person went into the club to steal money from the locked boxes.
IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB!
There was no signs of a forced entry. It was an inside job as multiple people had the security code. The last person who was in the bar was a lady bartender. The bartender alleged that she saw Ed's car out in front of the social club. Supposedly, this car was parked in a highly visible area.
Upon finding money missing from lock boxes the next day, the state police were called. A meeting of the President and the Secretary along with the state police came the next morning. They came to the conclusion that Ed had robbed the lodge. They looked at the video from the night before that showed Ed at the bar and the later video of the blanket covered person and concluded it was Ed.
The State Trooper went to Ed's house. Ed denied any wrongdoing. Ed offered to let the Trooper search the house. Ed said that he was home that night. Trooper just told Ed to give the money. He pressured Ed. Ed said he didn't do it. The trooper was so confident that it was Ed that he didn't even attempt to get a warrant.
Ed was charged with felony burglary and was determined to fight these charges.
What the Commonwealth did not realize and what would come out in testimony at the trial is that the bartender was not the only person on the premises at the time. Her boyfriend was on the premises "cleaning" up the place while she closed. The Judge would not permit the information to go to the jury, but the boyfriend had THREE prior convictions for burglary in Clearfield county.
Despite offers from the District Attorney to settle the matter, Ed maintained his innocence throughout the proceeding.
Attorney Freeman spent countless hours prepping the client and his witnesses for trial. Attorney Freeman also used the services of a private investigator and a video forensic analysis expert. The end was result was an acquittal by jury trial through the hard work and dedication of Attorney Bob Freeman and his client, Ed.
Ed and Attorney Bob Freeman on the Courthouse steps after Ed's finding of not guilty in his burglary case.