Police say they found a Schuylkill County man squatting in a garage with a toy gun by his side.
The same man is also alleged to have broken into another garage and conspired to steal an ATV.
Police in Ashland say they were called to an office building on W. Centre St. on Sunday by a cleaning woman who works there. She reportedly found an extension cord and other items stacked on the side of the garage and thought it was odd.
Once police contacted a key holder for the garage, they say they found Daniel Leary, 46, inside sleeping on a couch. Next to him, police say, was a plastic toy gun.
Based on the situation, police believe the only way Leary could have gotten to that location was through a small opening connecting to another garage.
The garage owner told police he wanted to go forward with charges so Leary was taken back to the Ashland Police station for processing.
At the station, police say Leary got agitated about the thought of going back to jail. He then began smashing the back of his head on the concrete wall.
EMS personnel were called in to evaluate Leary’s condition. He had a bleeding wound on the top of his head and was unconscious, police say. Leary was taken to a local hospital and then released.
He was then taken before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and charged with burglary and criminal trespass. Tarantelli set bail at $50,000 cash and Leary was committed to Schuylkill County Prison.
That wasn’t Leary’s only run-in with law enforcement over the weekend, however.
Police also suspect that he was involved in the theft of an ATV the previous day. They say they met with a garage owner on Chestnut St. who said someone broke in and stole a blue Moto 4 ATV stored inside.
After reviewing security footage from a nearby business, police say Leary is seen entering the garage with another unnamed man. Both had flashlights at the time they broke in, police say.
Soon after, both men pick up the ATV and lift it through a small doorway. Leary then hops on the ATV and rides it down the street toward 10th St.
Leary was questioned about this theft and reportedly told police he was helping a man named Joe Balsavage getting the quad from the garage. He told police where the vehicle was located and it was later returned to the owner.
For that incident, he’s being charged with conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to receive stolen property, and conspiracy to commit criminal trespass.
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