Canonsburg police nab four in restaurant burglary
From left, Frank James Harbaugh, Carl Fordham, Tracie Hall and Gretchen Westfall
Frank James Harbaugh
Carl Fordham
Tracie Hall
Gretchen Westfall
Two former employees of a West Pike Street restaurant along with two others were arrested by Canonsburg police early Saturday for allegedly breaking into the business and stealing a safe.
Frank James Harbaugh, 43, Carl Fordham, 36, Gretchen Westfall, 38, and Tracie Hall, 39, all from the Crafton area of Pittsburgh, were each charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy in the burglary of The Last Call Bar and Grill, 342 W. Pike St. Police said Harbaugh and Hall worked at the restaurant about a year ago.
Chief Al Coghill said police were called just after 3 a.m. after the bartender heard a noise and saw two men carrying a safe out of the building. As the call was being dispatched, Coghill said Officer Dennis Cole started in the direction of where the two suspects were last seen fleeing on foot and spotted a suspicious vehicle about a block away on Hawthorne Street.
Cole attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver, later identified as Fordham, tried to elude police before pulling over. The four were taken into custody. A safe was also found in the vehicle, police said.
“It was really a heads up job,” Coghill said of Cole’s efforts.
“During the interviews with them, they were all implicated with some aspect of the crime,” Coghill said. “We were aware that one of the homes in the area had video surveillance. That video shows two men putting on masks and approaching the building.”
“One of them went inside the building and the other stood watch,” the chief added. “The surveillance also showed one of them carrying the safe away.”
Police said both Harbaugh and Fordham had driven the Ford sedan at different points throughout the night. Hall and Westfall both reportedly served as lookouts during the burglary, police said.
The four were taken to Washington County jail late Saturday morning and were arraigned before District Judge Traci McDonald, who set bond at $20,000 for each. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5 before District Judge David Mark.