SHAMOKIN - A preliminary hearing for a licensed funeral home director accused of stealing $30,000 from an elderly Coal Township woman has been continued until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III.
The hearing for Heather Gober, 43, of Barnesville, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, was continued at the request of Coal Township Detective Jeff Brennan, the arresting officer in the case.
Gober, who is free on unsecured bail, is charged with felonies of burglary, criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property in connection with a June 14 incident at the Springfield home of an 82-year-old woman, whom police did not identify.
Gober, who was employed at Leonard J. Lucas Funeral Home Ltd., Shamokin, prior to her arrest, is accused of befriending the victim after her husband died and stealing $30,000 in cash from a strong box hidden in the widow's home.
The defendant, who turned herself over to authorities Aug. 19, admitted to stealing the money and has already made full restitution to the victim, police said.
In relation to the arrest of Gober, Leonard J. Lucas Jr. and staff of the Leonard J. Lucas Funeral Home have issued the following statement:
"The ownership and staff of the Leonard J. Lucas Funeral Home deeply regret the incident which was first reported in last week's News-Item.
"Although the name of the funeral home appeared in the article, in no way was the management responsible for, nor did it have prior knowledge of, that most unfortunate occurrence.
"The Leonard J. Lucas Funeral Home has earned the trust of the local community by faithfully serving the families of the Shamokin area for nearly 100 years. It is a trust we hold with the deepest respect and we have always maintained the highest industry standards when serving our clients in their times of need. We pledge to maintain those standards into the future. Thank you for your confidence and trust."