HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania police lieutenant charged with stealing an all-terrain vehicle that police impounded after a wreck has waived his preliminary hearing.
The Altoona Mirror (https://bit.ly/1EGZloY ) reports 61-year-old Otto Barton was supposed to have the hearing Thursday but waived it the day before. That means the 38-year veteran of the Logan Township police department must now stand trial or resolve the charges with a plea in Blair County court.
The state attorney general’s office charged Barton last month with inflating and faking a towing bill for the ATV so that an insurance company that had title to the vehicle wouldn’t claim it after police impounded it. That allegedly enabled Barton to keep the ATV for himself in December 2012.
Barton’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call Thursday. Barton has been on paid leave since his arrest.
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