Burglary Suspect Accused of Witness Intimidation

A South Bethlehem man already facing a burglary charge for a July break-in on Montclair Avenue is facing an additional felony charge for writing to the victims from prison, according to court records.

Kevin J. Mamuzich, 35, of 619 Pawnee St., allegedly wrote two letters to the victims of the July 29 burglary – – requesting that they drop the charges against him.

Mamuzich was charged with intimidation of witnesses, a class-one felony, on Friday and sent back to Northampton County Prison under an additional $150,000 bail following his arraignment before

The first letter arrived at the home of Alex Zook and Stan Yanitskiy, 459 Montclair Ave., on Aug. 3. In it, Mamuzich apologized and requested that the victims drop the charges. Instead, the victims told police they were fearful of retaliation.

The letter had been sent from the county prison in Easton and had handwriting that matched the written statement Mamuzich gave to police after he was caught the night of the burglary, according to the affidavit filed by Det. Brad Jones.

A second letter, also requesting that the charges be dropped, arrived on Wednesday, the affidavit said. Zook and Yanitskiy reached out to police to “reiterate their fear of reprisal,” the affidavit said.

“Kevin Mamuzich has an extensive criminal history featuring several convictions for burglary and related offenses. Therefore, a conviction for the burglary committed on 7/29/12 would likely result in a lengthy incarceration in the state prison system, giving Kevin Mamuzich motive to intimidate or influence the victims of the burglary to ‘drop’ the charges,” Jones wrote in the affidavit.

The homeowners called police when they found a burglar in the basement  of their home. Mamuzich was found to be in possession of items that were in the home, including a watch, an iPhone and an electronic heart monitor.

Mamuzich was already in prison in lieu of $75,000 bail awaiting court action on the burglary charge.