Erie man waives hearings in fraud, theft cases

This article was originally published on GoErie.com on August 17, 2017

An Erie man accused of fraudulently using a woman’s debit card earlier this year, and of breaking into vehicles in the city earlier this month, waived the criminal charges filed against him in both cases to court on Thursday.

Stephen T. Freebourn, 38, waived to court charges of access device fraud and receiving stolen property in the fraud case; and charges including flight to avoid apprehension, theft from a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property in the theft case, as he appeared before Erie 3rd Ward District Judge Tom Carney for his preliminary hearings on Thursday morning. Freebourn remains in the Erie County Prison on $75,000 in bonds.

Erie police charged in the fraud case that Freebourn took a woman’s debit card and used it 39 times to withdraw cash and make purchases totaling $2,582.65 between May 24 and June 5. He was accused in the theft case of entering vehicles and stealing items from them on the city’s west side on the early morning of Aug. 9.

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