Man charged with receiving stolen property after theft

Staff report

STRUTHERS

A Boardman man is charged with three counts of receiving stolen property in the theft of items from a house he was helping to remodel.

Jack A. Bruno, 52, was charged after items from the West Haywood Avenue home were found in his house, said Struthers Detective Jeff Pantall. The theft was reported Jan. 6.

The homeowner had allowed a contractor access to her house for six months while she was out of the country. That contractor called in Bruno, who is also a contractor, Pantall said, for help.

The homeowner suspected Bruno of stealing several missing items after she saw a news report that he was a suspect in a Dec. 19, 2010, Canfield burglary, a police report says.

The Struthers homeowner reported jewelry, coins and a porcelain wash tub missing.

Pantall said the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office issued a search warrant Dec. 27 for Bruno’s Arlene Avenue house in connection with the Canfield burglary. He called the sheriff’s office to ask if they had “anything left over” that didn’t belong to the Canfield victim.

He said that from the leftover items, the Struthers homeowner was able to identify some of her jewelry.

Pantall said that Bruno has denied any involvement in the theft from the West Haywood home.

A pretrial hearing is set for July 18 in Struthers Municipal Court.