Police say Harrison man used stolen driver’s license, bank card to withdraw $7K
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A Harrison man is accused of using a stolen driver’s license and bank card to withdraw more than $7,000 from the owner’s bank accounts.
Rodney Gaschler, 57, of Walnut Street was charged Thursday with felony counts of forgery, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and access device fraud, along with misdemeanor counts of forgery and tampering with an identification.
Gaschler was released on his recognizance and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Carolyn Bengel on Nov. 22.
A Harrison police detective wrote in a criminal complaint that a man reported Oct. 16 that someone walked into the First National Bank on Union Avenue and withdrew $4,300 from his business account.
The man said another $3,000 was stolen from his personal account by someone who walked into the First National Bank branch in New Kensington, the complaint said.
The man told police that, sometime during the two weeks before the bank withdrawals, his vehicle was broken into at his home and that his driver’s license and business bank card were in the wallet that was stolen, the complaint said.
The bank’s fraud department told investigators that in both incidents, a man walked into the bank branch, filled out a withdrawal slip and presented it to a teller along with a driver’s license for identification, the complaint said.
The bank gave police photos of the man taken by security cameras that showed an older white man wearing a gray shirt making the withdrawals.
When the detective showed the photo to other officers in the department, several identified him as Gaschler, the complaint said.
According to court records, Gaschler’s criminal history lists only an arrest for DUI by Fawn police in August 2022.
In February, Gaschler was convicted of two counts of DUI. One of the counts was for having a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit to drive, according to court records.
Gaschler was ordered to pay fines and court fees, and his license was suspended for at least 60 days.
He was permitted to participate in a 12-month Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program that allows the charges to be expunged when completed.
At the request of an ARD probation officer, a judge can revoke a person’s eligibility for the program if they are charged with a crime, according to the state Office of Victim Services.