$7,000 in Damages Made to Jeep, Police Say

A Bethlehem man is already in jail on a charge of unauthorized use of a Tatamy woman’s vehicle that ended up in the Berks County borough of Lyons.

Now, Mathew Mark Mabus, 21, is facing additional charges, including allegedly leaving a repair bill of almost $7,200 for interior and exterior damage to the woman’s silver 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which he took in December.

Some of that damage, according to a criminal complaint, included:

—The interior “looked like the vehicle had been lived in.” There were burn holes in the seats and stains from liquids on the seats. The interior had dirt, empty bottles and trash, and the driver’s side rear passenger seat belt was cut in half.

—The exterior had heavy damage to the right front quarter panel so that the front passenger door could not open all the way. The front passenger door was damaged and its window broken out. Duct tape and plastic covered the window.

—Scratch marks were visible down both sides of the Jeep, the two front rims were spray-painted green and the two rear rims were spray-painted black. Also, the rear hatch door did not open.

In addition to allegedly causing vehicle damage estimated at $7,167, Mabus is charged with stealing the woman’s iPod Touch Gen3 32GB from her home and causing damage requiring $55.74 in repairs.

The complaint also says Mabus replaced the Jeep’s existing registration sticker with a sticker from another vehicle and secured it to the windshield with duct tape.

Mabus’ first court appearance in the case was March 15, when he was arraigned on a charge of unauthorized use of motor vehicles. On-duty District Judge Roy Manwaring of Bethlehem committed him to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail.

On Thursday, Mabus, of 44 E. Spruce St., was arraigned by District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township on charges of criminal mischief, fraud in connection with the registration sticker, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, and receiving stolen property.

Taschner set bail of $15,000 on the new charges.

The complaint, filed by Tatamy officer Keith A. Snyder, also says:

—On March 16, the day after Mabus’ first court appearance, Snyder had Easton Auto Body pick up the Jeep in Lyons. Mabus had told Snyder a woman had the keys and knew where the vehicle was. She said she would wait by the Jeep until the tow service arrived.

--On Monday morning, Snyder met with the Jeep’s owner, Raelynn Campanaro, and her parents at Easton Auto Body, 1328 Elm St. Campanaro said the damage to the vehicle was not there when she bought it in mid-December.

—Inside the Jeep, Snyder found a receipt for the return of the iPod. Mabus had taken the iPod from Campanaro while he was at her home in December—before he took the Jeep. Also found was two small baggies in the center compartment. The baggies tested positive for marijuana.

—Regarding the iPod, Campanaro said Mabus was lying on her bed and that the iPod also was on the bed. She said that when he left that day in December, the iPod was gone.