District Court: Judge Postpones Hearing for Man Charged With Chicken Theft

A preliminary hearing has been postponed until later this month for a Rochester man accused of stealing $100 worth of fried chicken from in Leetsdale.

charged Kendell K. Bowens, 33, with four counts of corruption of minors and one count of retail theft. Bowens appeared in court Tuesday without a lawyer, and Magisterial District Judge Robert ordered him to return later this month with his lawyer.

Police said Bowens walked out of on April 2 with $100 worth of hot chicken. He drove off in a minivan onto Route 65, police said.

Witnesses were able to jot down Bowens’ registration, which police said they traced to Holy Family Institute in Emsworth.

An assistant manager at the grocery told police Bowens filled out an order sheet using only the name “Mike” and listing a telephone number. The store manager gave police a copy April 8 of the surveillance video, which showed Bowen picking up the chicken from the hot food section and walking away.

The camera in the front of the store showed Bowens walking past a closed register withy two children walking in front of him, each carrying a pan of chicken. Two other children were walking behind him, police said, adding that the video shows Bowens made no effort to pay for the food.

Police printed out copies of Bowens' picture from the video and took the photos to Holy Family Institute, where officials identified him.

The following people have been charged and were scheduled for preliminary hearings June 7 at Judge Robert Ford's office in Leetsdale:

Waived

• Jesse P. Charko, 28, of Ambridge, charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and reckless driving. Leetsdale Police said they stopped Charko’s pickup March 29 on Route 65 after clocking him at more than 20 mph over the speed limit. Police said Charko failed a field-sobriety test and was taken to Heritage Valley Sewickley Hospital for a blood test. Police said they towed his  truck and took him to the Coraopolis Police Department's lockup to sober up. Police did not report blood-alcohol test results.

• Kyle McCusker, 22, of Baden, charged with driving under the influence and careless driving. Leetsdale Police said they stopped McCusker  March 28 on Route 65 at Cross Street for speeding. He failed a field-sobriety test, police said, and was taken to for a blood-alcohol test. Police reported his blood-alcohol was content was 0.17 percent, above the state’s 0.08 percent legal limit.

• Michelle L. Maranuk, 27, of Beaver Street, Leetsdale, charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. Leetsdale Police said Maranuk was involved in a one-vehicle crash March 28 at the intersection of Route 65 and Rapp Street, where her vehicle sheared off a utility pole and destroyed a neighbor’s fencing. Police said officers found Maranuk complaining of neck pain and sitting on the steps of a home on Route 65.  She was taken to Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side. A blood-alcohol test came back positive at 0.088 percent, above the state’s 0.08 percent legal limit.

• Michael A. King, 33, of Harmony Township, Beaver County, charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and reckless driving. Leetsdale Police said King drove April 3 from Village Drive onto Route 65 and began speeding. He was taken to for a blood-alcohol test after failing a field-sobriety test, police said. They did not report a blood-alcohol content.

Postponed

• Charles Ligons, 28, of Dickson Road, Sewickley, charged with possession of marijunana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sewickley Police said they went to Ligons’ home April 28 to assist paramedics with a possible heroin overdose. Police saw a needle, a stamp bag and other paraphernalia in plain view. After receiving consent to search the home, officers said they also found marijuana in a freezer bag. A preliminary hearing was postponed until September.