Police: Man Brought Young Boy Along For Burglary

say a man burglarized a vacant Bridgeville home Tuesday afternoon and brought his 7-year-old nephew to help with the heist.

A witness told police he saw William Gregory, 21, of Carnegie, “loafing around” with a young boy near a vacant home on Baldwin Street and watched them walk around the back.

The man followed the two around and noticed the back door was forced open. The witness told investigators he heard rattling in the basement and created a commotion that startled them.

Bridgeville police Chief Chad King said that’s when Gregory smashed a window in the side of the house and “hoisted” the boy out through the shattered glass. Gregory suffered a gash, but ran from police officers before they quickly caught up with him and the boy.

“That kid could’ve gotten sliced up when he put him through the window,” King said.

In fact, the boy had been cut before and appeared to have homemade stitches closing a “huge V-shaped” wound.

“It looked like Dr. Frankenstein stitched him up,” King said. “He had been cut up earlier.”

King wonders if Gregory and the boy were involved in other burglaries at the home since most of the copper pipes had already been ripped out. King declined to charge the boy with any crimes because of his age, but suspects he might have had more of a role in the burglary than being a spectator.

Police charged Gregory with burglary, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, endangering welfare of a child, corruption of minors. He was arraigned by District Judge Maureen McGraw-Desmet and is being held at Allegheny County Jail.

This article first appeared on Chartiers Valley Patch.