05/21/08 — “I want help,” a sobbing, shivering Colleen Rose Greene told Meadville Area Magisterial District Judge William Chisholm during her Tuesday-night arraignment on charges stemming from an alleged break-in at the Masonic Building. “I’m sorry.”
The 22-year-old Ohio native, who gave her last address as 7267 Muriel Lane in South Shenango Township’s Westford community and explained that she has recently been staying with her boyfriend’s mother on Boileau Place in Meadville, is facing maximum fines totaling $320,600 and prison sentences totaling more than 161 years in the wake of an alleged overnight break-in at the Masonic Building at 312 Chestnut St.
Building owner Wesley Rowden described the break-in as resulting in “significant damage.”
Summoned to the scene by a caller reporting that an office had been broken into during the night, Meadville Police Department officers arrived at the Masonic Building at 7:16 a.m. Tuesday.
When it was determined a total of six offices had been broken into, Pennsylvania State Police Forensic Unit was called to the scene to assist with processing the crime scene.
Throughout the day, lead investigator Detective Sgt. Eric Young and the rest of the police department developed leads; at 2:15 p.m., Greene was taken into custody and arrested.
Following her arraignment Tuesday evening on three counts of burglary, eight counts of criminal trespass, four counts of theft by unlawful taking, three counts of criminal mischief and one count of resisting arrest, Greene was committed to the Crawford County jail, Saegertown, in lieu of $50,000 bond.
In the criminal complaint, police allege that Greene entered the first-floor office of state Sen. Bob Robbins through an unlocked window; entered the office of Helpmates Inc. through a boarded-up doorway, where she took possession of a laptop computer; forced a locked door open to enter the office of Full Spectrum School of Healing and Self Transformation, where she took two checks totaling more than $600; entered the office of Crawford County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) through a hole in the wall she created, and took possession of more than $100 cash; entered the Barbara J. Mountjoy law office; and entered the Crawford County LEAP office by forcing a hole through the wall and grabbing the hand bar of the door to gain access and removed more than $200 cash. Police also allege Greene intentionally damaged property in the building in excess of $2,000 while committing several crimes within the building.
Police also allege that later on Tuesday, she entered a residence at 225 1/2 Boileau Place without being authorized to do so; damaged the rear door of 273 Randolph St. in an attempt to enter the residence while fleeing from police; engaged in combative behavior with Detective Sgt. Craig Gump, who suffered scrapes to his hands and knees while he was attempting to place her under arrest; and damaged Gump’s pants, shoes and cell phone during the scuffle.
Asked if she had any problems with drugs and alcohol, Greene told Chisholm that she “does pills, smokes pot and drinks until she blacks out.”
After reading the charges, Chisholm asked Greene why she did it. “I was high,” she responded. It wasn’t to get money to buy drugs or alcohol, she assured him, explaining that she had $200 cash in her possession at the time. “I don’t know why I do it.”
Asked specifically about the reason behind the attack on the detective, she explained that she took the drug Ecstasy at around 11 a.m., following the alleged break-in.
Greene also told the judge this isn’t her first scrape with the law. In fact, she’s awaiting sentencing on June 6 in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas on charges arising from an early February break-in in Linesville.
Her preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 30.
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Woman faces fines, jail time for masonic building burglary
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