Posted on 05/21/2004 7:36:42 AM PDT by ZGuy
A man who allegedly stole the head of the Philadelphia Phillies' furry green mascot, then returned it to collect a $5,000 reward, will be placed on two years' probation and be required to perform 100 hours of community service, a prosecutor said.
Bernard Bechtel, 37, of Whitehall Township near Allentown, is a good candidate for a first-time offenders program that will allow his record to be cleared, said Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Brian Zarallo.
"This is not a career criminal," Zarallo said. "We're confident he understands the severity of the system."
Bechtel's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, although Zarallo said Bechtel plans to waive it.
The noggin of the Philadelphia Phillies' furry green mascot was stolen during a charity auction Feb. 6. Images from security cameras captured Bechtel entering a restricted room and trying to conceal the head under his yellow ski jacket, authorities said.
Bechtel claimed the $5,000 reward, which was offered by a car dealership, after hearing about it on a radio show.
Philadelphia police learned that Bechtel was at WYSP-FM and charged him with theft, burglary, receiving stolen property and trespassing. The dealership, which had promised the reward for the safe return of the Phanatic's head with no questions asked, paid the money.
Bechtel, who did not return a phone call from The Morning Call of Allentown on Thursday, has since turned the reward over to charity.
"He did it in a very nonpublic way," Zarallo said. "That was one of the things that was favorable."
That "radio show" was the Howard Stern show and, if I remember right, it was Stern who offered the reward or asked the dealership into giving a reward. Bernard Bechtel is an avid listener to the show. Draw your own conclusions...
Follow-up Ping regarding your earlier posts on this subject
Ping
ping
I wonder if this guy is going to have to walk around with a felony conviction or if this is some type of PBJ program. The article doesn't make it clear.
Again, the guy did this in a rather ham fisted way. If he'd of taken the head around to various parts of the city and had his picture taken with it on, in front of city hall, the Liberty Bell, Art Museum steps, he'd be a cult hero.
How great would a photo of him, standing in front of the demolition of The Vet, wearing the head be?
A golden opportunity missed.
Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"
Even I'D forgotten about this story by now.
<|:)~
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