A second suspect in the theft of copper piping from a shuttered Montgomeryville restaurant has been apprehended and charged.
Michael Garrison, 44, of Croydon, faces charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, conspiracy, theft, theft of secondary metal, and criminal mischief in connection with the March 2022 incident at the former Bennigans and Gimaro restaurants on Bethlehem Pike.
Charges were filed in May, but Garrison was at large until being taken into custody and arraigned last week. He is being held in lieu of $5,077 bail. (The $77 indicates he was to be kept in custody on previous parole or probation violations.) Garrison’s next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Andrea Hudak Duffy.
Chester Chatereski, 44, of Philadelphia, faces similar charges in connection with the theft. He was taken into custody in June and charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, receiving stolen property, theft of secondary metal and criminal mischief.
Investigators said the thefts were initially reported in March 2022, when the owner of the building — which had been vacant since the closure of Gimaro Seafood and Steaks in 2017 — noticed someone had broken into the building and ransacked the interior, stealing copper piping and wiring from various interior locations as well as brass railings, medallions, and various other items. Police said headboards had been positioned in the front of the building to prevent anyone from seeing inside, and the back door had been tied closed with wiring to give the appearance that the door was locked.
According to the criminal complaint, police took DNA swabs from two beverages that were located inside of the building, and the results of the DNA tests later identified Garrison and Chatereski as matches. The ensuing investigation also uncovered that Garrison had been paid $8,072 for secondary metals between February 2022 and April 2022, and Chatereski had been paid $6,236 for secondary metals between March 2022 and April 2022, police said.
Police said the damage caused to the building as well as the cost to replace the piping and wiring far exceeds the money Garrison and Chatereski allegedly received.
Charges were initially filed against Chatereski in March, however he avoided being taken into custody until June 6, at which point he was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy and transported to county jail after failing to post bail.
Garrison was previously arrested on federal charges in September 2022, following an investigation by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division into the theft of copper wire and other metals from decommissioned coal-fired power plants between 2018 and August 2021.
"Between January 2020 and August 2021, Garrison sold stolen scrap on approximately 175 separate occasions to a Philadelphia scrap yard, for which he was paid more than $117,000,” authorities said.
Federal prosecutors said damage from Garrison’s alleged crimes caused $1.5 million in damage.
View more on Garrison at Levittown Now.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using police reports, court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
