A Hanover man charged with stealing $20,000 worth of construction equipment from his former employer tells police he did it to for cash to buy heroin. Zachary Funt, 26, of 605 ½ Baltimore Street, Hanover PA has been arrested and charged with six counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property for a demolition saw; five rebar tiers and two surveying transits from Keith Smith Concrete Construction, located at 3333 Baltimore Pike. Owner Keith Smith reported the thefts to police and also told investigators that he suspected Funt, who was fired from the business in early January.
Investigators traced the stolen equipment to two Carroll County shops. With information gathered from the transactions, police converged on Funt’s residence where the stolen transit was seen in the back seat of his vehicle. Funt was arrested that afternoon and admitted to committing six night time burglaries of Smith’s business between November and the past weekend. The crimes went unnoticed for weeks because Funt used a stolen key to get into the business. Funt said he sold the items to get cash to buy heroin. Funt also provided information about other items he took that were sold by Jesse Wiseman, 25, of 880 Westminster Avenue, Hanover in Maryland. Wiseman has been arrested and charged with four counts of receiving stolen property.
Police say Wiseman sold three rebar tiers and the demo saw at various Carroll County pawn shops. He was arrested on February 13 at his residence and admitted to selling four items, knowing they were stolen, to get money for heroin. Wiseman also confirmed Smith’s suspicion that Funt had been buying gas with a stolen gas card to make the trips to and from the pawn shops.
In addition to the transit found in Funt’s vehicle police recovered a second transit and rebar tier from the pawn shops, the value of the recovered items is about $7300.00. The remaining items had been re-sold by the pawn shops.
Funt and Wiseman were processed and arraigned at central booking. Funt remains in York County Prison, Wiseman was released after posting bail.