Former employee accused of stealing $7K in items from Penn Hills School District field house
A former Penn Hills School District employee is charged with stealing nearly $7,000 worth of equipment from the high school field house.
Patsy Seneca, 70, of Penn Hills was captured on surveillance video loading items from the field house into his pickup truck on the morning of May 1, according to Penn Hills police. Brandon Chabola, director of plant services for the district, told police he recognized Seneca in the video footage, according to a criminal complaint filed by police.
Seneca admitted to police that he’d taken fixtures and hardware and buckets to hold them in. He then turned the items in to police, according to the complaint.
Police said Seneca told them, “I did this to get even,” indicating he’d worked for the district for 34 years before being accused of charging $30 to a school credit card.
“Seneca stated this upset him and he’s been dealing with a lot in his life lately,” the complaint stated.
Seneca was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Anthony DeLuca and was released on nonmonetary bail. He faces a June 3 preliminary hearing.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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