Police in Pottsville have charged numerous people with breaking into a city woman’s residence while she was in Schuylkill County Prison and taking a lot of her property.
One person allegedly even admitted to getting a haircut while he was inside her residence.
Oh, and early one morning, two people apparently removed numerous items from the apartment — including 6 dogs and 2 other unknown animals.
According to one criminal complaint, police were flagged down by Deborah Martier-Cinkaj on the morning on Oct. 8 in the area of 7th and Mahantongo streets.
Martier-Cinkaj told police that when she returned home after getting released from prison, she found the door unlocked and “all my stuff” missing.
Police said no signs of forced entry were noticed at Martier-Cinkaj’s residence but it was very cluttered, messy, and appeared to have been ransacked. Furniture was tipped over, drawers were partially open, and boxes of household goods were strewn about the place.
Martier-Cinkaj also said a dog and cat were missing from her residence. She also said that she got a call from a friend while she was incarcerated and this person told her that a Brianna Schaeffer had her cell phone. The caller also allegedly said that she was at Schaeffer’s house and had seen some of her property on the front porch.
When she was arrested back on Sept. 9, Martier-Cinkaj said she gave her only apartment key to a family member so they could take care of her dog. She did not give anyone else permission to be in her place while she was in jail.
While police were talking with Martier-Cinkaj and after hearing her story about the missing items from her residence, police had an opportunity to review some security camera footage from outside her apartment.
Police say this footage sheds some light on what happened at Martier-Cinkaj’s while she was in prison and refutes a bit of what she said that morning, namely the amount of dogs in her apartment.
At 2:40 a.m. on Oct. 4, while Martier-Cinkaj was still in jail, police say they saw an unknown male starting to carry items out of the apartment, setting them on the sidewalk. This unknown male made a total of 12 trips, carrying boxes, suitcases, laundry baskets, and wicker chests. All these things seemed to contain unknown items.
At 3:52 a.m. that morning, police say Schaeffer came out of the residence carrying an animal crate with an unknown animal in it. Schaeffer places the crate on the sidewalk and then goes back into the apartment and makes another trip, carrying another crate with two dogs in it, police say.
A third trip saw Schaeffer carrying a box with dog food in it out of the apartment.
After that third trip, police say the video shows Schaeffer standing on the sidewalk, appearing to wait for someone.
At 3:58 a.m., that person arrives in a silver GMC/Chevy pickup truck. An unknown male gets out of the truck and begins helping Schaeffer load all the items she allegedly took out of the apartment and put them into the truck.
Then, at 4:12 a.m., Schaeffer goes back into Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment. A minute later, Schaeffer is seen handing a medium-sized white and tan dog out of a first-floor window to the man in the truck.
Two minutes later, Schaeffer hands another dog out of the window, this one a light-colored mix breed dog, according to police.
At 4:15 a.m., Schaeffer emerges from the apartment carrying a medium-sized brown dog and has another dog walking on a leash with her.
All the dogs are loaded onto the truck. Schaeffer and that unknown male then go back into Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment and a minute later, the two of them re-emerge and are seen on the surveillance video carrying a large, dark trunk that appeared to be heavy. They load the trunk in the truck and leave at 4:31 a.m.
Later on the 8th, after talking with Martier-Cinkaj, police went to Schaeffer’s residence on E. Market St. in Pottsville. She met police outside of her house, carrying a blue OnePlus smartphone. Schaeffer allegedly said, “Here is the phone I told her I had.”
Schaeffer also allegedly told police that Martier-Cinkaj knew she was staying at her apartment while she was in jail and that Martier-Cinkaj allowed her to store her belongings there.
Many of the items Schaeffer allegedly admitted to taking from Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment on the morning of Oct. 4 belonged to her but she did also take some that didn’t belong to her, like that wicker basket. And the reason she took the basket was to get the items quickly and get out of there in a hurry.
Police are charging Schaeffer with first-degree felony burglary, third-degree felony criminal trespass, and misdemeanor charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.
Schaeffer was arraigned before District Magistrate James Reiley on Oct. 14 and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $20,000 bail. That bail hasn’t been posted.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Scaling the outside of the apartment building?
But this story doesn’t end there, not by a long shot. Six other people have been charged by police for allegedly entering Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment while she was in jail.
Before police talked with Schaeffer on the 8th, they were met by her boyfriend, Christopher Schoffstall. Schoffstall told police that Schaeffer wasn’t home.
While talking with Schoffstall, police say that he admitted to being in Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment one day and while there, he chased an Alicia Kintzel from the place. Kintzel, he said, was taking a jewelry box from Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment.
Police asked Schoffstall how he was able to get into Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment. He said he scaled the rear of the apartment building onto a balcony and used the back door.
Later, police learned that they had actually visited Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment on Sept. 13 – while Martier-Cinkaj was in jail – for an unrelated incident and Schoffstall answered the door. Police say they didn’t know at the time that no one had permission to be in the residence.
On Oct. 15, Martier-Cinkaj told police that Schoffstall returned a sound bar to her, which she eventually learned was missing from her apartment.
Police have charged Schoffstall with third-degree felony criminal trespass. He was arraigned before Reiley on Oct. 16 and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $5,000 bail, which he posted the same day and was released. He also has a preliminary hearing on Monday.
Regarding Kintzel being chased from the apartment while she was trying to take a jewelry box. Police contacted Kintzel on Oct. 9. She allegedly told police that she was inside Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment twice on the same day while she was in jail.
Kintzel, of Pottsville, said she was there while she was out for a walk. When she was inside the apartment the first time, she allegedly told police she took the box with the word ‘Hope’ on it but that she dumped its contents on the bed and just took the box.
Kintzel gave the box to police and then denied taking anything on her second visit to the apartment. The box has since been returned to Martier-Cinkaj.
Police have charged Kintzel with first-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors for criminal trespass, theft, and receiving stolen property.
She was arraigned before Reiley on Oct. 16 and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $10,000 bail. Her preliminary hearing is also on Monday.
A little off the top?
Police say they reviewed security footage and identified Eric Lamberth, a homeless Pottsville man, was frequenting Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment. He was there on Sept. 23, Sept. 24, and Sept. 30, either coming or going from the place, police say.
Police say the spoke with Lamberth on Oct. 12. He allegedly admitted to being at Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment four times but was only inside three times.
The first time he was there, Lamberth says Schaeffer gave him a haircut with Martier-Cinkaj’s clippers. After getting his haircut, Lamberth says he took the clippers with him.
On the second visit, Lamberth says Schaeffer gave him an envelope that contained Martier-Cinkaj’s mail. During that visit, multiple people were there.
And on the third visit, he said he rode over to the apartment with other people but didn’t go inside.
A warrant has been issued for Lamberth. Police plan to charge him with third-degree felony criminal trespass.
Another person scaling the building to get in?
Police say while they were reviewing security footage from around Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment, they saw something interesting during the early morning hours of Sept. 27. At 3:18 a.m., police say, Zachary Kohr, a homeless man from Pottsville, arrives and attempts to get in through the front door and front window, trying to pry each open.
That didn’t work so police say he goes around back and climbs up the side of the building to the second floor and the rear porch.
A few minutes later, Kohr climbs back down and goes back to the front of the building. He once again attempts to pry open a window before the front door opens and he goes inside the apartment at 3:31 a.m.
Martier-Cinkaj told police that Kohr did not have permission to be inside her apartment or to be lurking around the building.
Police have charged Kohr with third-degree felony criminal trespass and a misdemeanor for loitering and prowling at night. He was arraigned before Reiley on Wednesday and sent to Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $5,000 bail, which he hasn’t posted.
Taking care of the dogs
Police have also charged a man for being at Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment almost daily while she was in jail.
Lewis Krolick, of Pottsville, told police in an interview on Oct. 14 that he was given permission to be at Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment to take care of the dogs. Police say security footage shows him there on Sept. 19, Sept. 21, Sept. 26, Sept. 28, Sept. 30, and Oct. 1.
Krolick also told police that while he was in the apartment, multiple other people were coming and going from the place.
Police have charged him with third-degree felony criminal trespass. He was arraigned before Reiley on Thursday and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Warrant issued
Reiley also signed a warrant for Corey McCabe, 50, who is listed on court papers as homeless and from Pottsville.
Police say they reviewed security video and identified McCabe as a person who arrived at Martier-Cinkaj’s apartment on Sept. 30 at 2:08 a.m. and left at 2:29 a.m. Martier-Cinkaj told police that McCabe didn’t have permission to be there.
McCabe will be charged with third-degree criminal trespass.
NOTE: These are the charges filed against people connected with this case as of Wednesday afternoon. It’s not yet known (we didn’t look it up) if there are more involved.
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