CATHOLIC CHARITIES Burglars damage building

Police say the intruders spent hours in the building.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- An overnight break-in left the building housing a charitable organization here in shambles, but employees plan to pick up the pieces and get back to the business of giving by the end of the day.
A custodian at the Catholic Charities building, 4495 Market St., arrived early today to find the building in complete disarray with papers scattered through every room, file cabinets ransacked and plaster hanging from the ceiling.
Police called to the building said the culprits spent most of the night making their way through the office building looking for cash. Detective Sgt. Nick Levinsky said the burglars came in through the front door of the building, which has no alarm system.
Levinsky said the burglars, once inside, could not get through the steel doors leading to each office, so they knocked a hole in an unlocked closet wall, climbed up into the ceiling and came down through the ceiling of a restroom that is open to the office area.
The intruders also entered a doctor's office located in the same building.
All for nothing?
The burglars' hard work, however, may have been for nothing. Employees at the Catholic Charities facility said nothing is missing. Computers, microwaves and other valuables including a jar of petty cash were all still in the building.
Police say the burglars might have overlooked the petty cash in their quest to enter a safe located in a rear office. The burglars did gain access to the safe, but Levinsky said it was empty. The organization does not use the safe or keep any cash on the premises except for the small amount in the jar.
Levinsky said the intruders' decision to crawl through the walls and ceilings may give officers some help in catching them. He said the individuals responsible had to have been covered in soot, drywall and insulation after the crime. He is asking that anyone who may have seen these individuals call township police.
Nancy Voitus, director of the Catholic Charities facility, said employees will begin the cleanup process immediately and should be back to business as usual no later than Monday. There is no estimate on the damages to the building.