Former Lycoming County commissioner Rick Mirabito surrendered to a District Judge on Wednesday to face felony charges of burglary and trespassing plus a misdemeanor charge of theft.
The 67-year-old made no statements during the proceeding before Judge Christian Frey and was released on $10,000 bail.
Less than 24 hours earlier, charges against Mirabito were withdrawn by District Attorney Tom Marino, due to concerns his office did not have enough information about the incident. But after speaking with two Williamsport police officers, Marino changed his mind, saying “this needs to be filed,” to NorthCentralPA.com.
Mirabito was allegedly seen by his tenant on Monday in a shared hallway at the building in Williamsport. He allegedly told tenant Joyleen McClements it was “the first” and she needed to leave and went into the alleged victim’s apartment before he demanded her keys, officer Ericka Heath wrote in the original affidavit. He took them, saying she “did not need her keys to leave,” Heath added.
According to investigators, Mirabito did not legally evict the accuser or give her any form of notification, according to the report.
“No one is above the law,” Marino told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette Wednesday morning. Still, he said, there are clear procedures and practices for a landlord to pursue eviction before a district judge.
“There is a right way to do things,” Marino said.
Mirabito served three terms as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. After a failed bid at re-election in 2015, Mirabito was elected to serve as a Lycoming County Commissioner.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled at Frey’s office on Jan. 16.
One Response
The woman accusing the former Commissioner has a lengthy rap sheet.
She is a convicted drug dealer. Mirabito criticizes a racist police for using the “N” word.
Less than 24 hours later, he is charged with felonies. This would normally be a Civil matter.
Williamsport Police are racist and corrupt. I can’t wait until the entire town is cleared out by the feds.