A woman accused by Gilpin police of moving into a vacant house with her dog after the owner put the property up for sale has been ordered to stand trial.
Francesca Gimigliano, 43, who is homeless according to police, was charged with felony counts of criminal trespass and burglary, along with four counts of drug possession.
Gimigliano originally was detained in Armstrong County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond after her arrest July 30 but was released from custody after bail was changed to $10,000 unsecured during an Aug. 10 preliminary hearing before District Judge James Andring.
Police said they were contacted by the home’s owner July 27 after he and his wife went to the property and saw a dog sitting at the front door and a pair of shoes inside, according to a criminal complaint.
The only people with keys to the house were the owner and the real estate agent, who confirmed the property was locked after it was shown to a potential buyer the previous week, according to the complaint. The house is along Route 66, police said.
An officer who went to the property said the front and back doors were unlocked, but nobody was inside, police said. A neighbor told police he saw a white Jeep Cherokee at the house earlier in the day, the complaint said.
Police said there was no sign of forced entry, but investigators noted in Gimigliano’s arrest papers that a pair of devices used to practice picking locks were found among her possessions.
An Armstrong County humane officer was called to the scene to take custody of the dog, police said.
Officers searched the house and found an inflatable air mattress in an upstairs bedroom, along with baskets of clothing and personal items, the complaint said.
A bowl of water, dog food, toiletries and canned soup were discovered in the first floor bathroom, and a box of cereal was found in a kitchen cabinet. The home’s owner told police none of the items they found were there the previous week.
Gimigliano was identified after police found her debit card in the bedroom and a photograph of her, police said.
Police said a glass pipe, three glass vials and a scale were found in a zippered cloth bag Gimigliano had among her possessions. The contents of the vials were not identified in the complaint.
Gimigliano was taken into custody after a warrant was issued for her arrest, according to police.
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