Farrell man accused of burglarizing Sharon church waives right to hearing

Melissa Klaric, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 14—SHARON — A Farrell man accused of stealing more than $40,000 worth of items from a Sharon church waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday.

Charges of burglary, institutional vandalism, theft, and trespass against John Thomas Jackson Sr., 63, of 1106 Beechwood Ave., were sent to Common Pleas Court, where his arraignment is scheduled for June 13.

Jackson waived his right to the hearing Friday and also waived his right to an attorney. He told District Judge Travis P. Martwinski that he was unable to procure an attorney because he tried to call the public defender's office but kept getting a busy signal over a course of about 10 days. When he finally got a hold of them, he was supposed to call back but had to take care of a family emergency.

According to a police criminal complaint, Jackson cased the Temple of Praise Church of God in Christ, 170 N. Sharpsville Ave., before removing multiple stained glass windows, kitchen appliances, furniture, and recyclable scrap metals in March.

Bishop Rev. Melvin T. Baker said Jackson stole more than $40,000 worth of items including the six stained glass windows, a commercial-grade stove, two refrigerators, two desks, a cabinet, a kitchen and a bathroom sink and a drum set.

The stained glass windows, which are worth $4,000 a piece, were sold to Valley View Antique Shop in Masury, Ohio. Baker said the shop informed him that the church could buy the windows back, but the church could not do that.

Police said in an interview with Jackson, that he told them that he entered the church without permission and looked around for objects such as recyclable metals. Jackson said he intended to come back to the church and steal the items.

Jackson told police that he made an agreement with the pastor to sell the stained glass windows, but Baker said that never happened.

Jackson said he took the items to a scrapyard in Youngstown, Ohio, and received $1,200, police said.

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com