Scranton City Hall vandal pleads guilty to burglary
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Aug. 29—A 34-year-old man who vandalized Scranton City Hall offices in April while a public meeting was underway pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lackawanna County Court.
Robert Ian Craig replied "I do" when Judge Andy Jarbola asked if he admitted to that act.
Craig pleaded guilty to a felony count of burglary for the break-in, which Deputy District Attorney Bo Loughney noted carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
On April 3, Craig pulled wires out of computers and electronics in two offices he entered — the second-floor controller's office and the fourth-floor city code enforcement office.
He somehow came across a door key to the building, police said. It was believed he found it in the code enforcement office.
"He went through (City Hall) floor by floor, room by room," Loughney said in court.
Craig entered the building while the doors were open for a Shade Tree Commission meeting.
Mental health issues and substance abuse likely played a role in the break-in, officials said.
Craig's public defender, Jillian Kochis, said her client participated in the county's mental health treatment court. In court paperwork filed in another case, Kochis indicated Craig seemed to suffer from psychosis.
While in court Tuesday, Craig pleaded guilty to criminal charges in two other cases.
In pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of theft, Craig admitted he stole $1,350 in October 2020. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of loitering, acknowledging he roamed the Forum Towers on Linden Street shortly after 4 a.m. Jan. 21, trying different doorknobs.
Craig is jailed in Lackawanna County Prison and awaits sentencing.
Contact the writer:
jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187;
@jkohutTT on Twitter.
