Published: May 28, 2008 11:04 pm      

Altoona man accused of taking apart Prince Gallitzin State Park picnic table to use wood

PATTON — An Altoona man is facing theft and criminal mischief charges after police said he disassembled a picnic table to use the wood to build a shed.

Prince Gallitzin State Park authorities discovered Jeffery Allen Frederick, 23, of the 500 block of 11th Street in Altoona, loading his Dodge Caravan on May 15 with wood taken from a park picnic table.

According to a criminal complaint filed at District Judge Michael Zungali’s office in Hastings, park Ranger Joseph Eckenrod was on routine patrol in the Muskrat Beach area. He observed wooden pieces from a picnic table on top of the van, and Frederick loading the vehicle.

Eckenrod questioned Frederick about the activity, and Frederick said he was taking the table to build a shed for his stepchildren.

Frederick’s girlfriend and kids were with him at the time.

Park Manager Dan Bickel, who assisted Eckenrod, said the picnic table was one of a group of tables stacked in the beach parking lot awaiting distribution throughout the park area for summer use.

“I guess (Frederick) thought they were free for the taking,” Bickel said.

“It happened in broad daylight.”

Bickel said it is not often that the park’s law enforcement has to file criminal charges against a patron.

“People are usually here to recreate, not take part in a crime,” Bickel said. “This is a rare occurrence, and we probably only have about a dozen incidents like this a year.”

He said about 300 to 400 picnic tables are located throughout the park, and are valued at about $300 each.

Frederick is scheduled to appear in front of Zungali at a preliminary hearing June 24.