Police: Former Mayor Victimized by Grandson

A grandson of former Bethlehem mayor and city councilman was charged Tuesday with stealing his grandfather’s ATM card and making more than $1,000 in withdrawals from his bank account, according to court papers.

In confessing to the crime to a city police detective, Forest G. Huron said he needed money to pay the costs on another criminal case in which he was accepted into a first-time offenders program.

Huron, 19, of 4648 Hampshire Drive, Hanover Township, Northampton County, was charged with access device fraud, a third-class felony; theft; and receiving stolen property.

He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail, following his arraignment before .

The investigation began on Thursday, when Mowrer reported to Bethlehem police that $1,250 was stolen from his bank account through a number of ATM transactions.

All of those transactions took place at the ATM machine at the convenience store at 741 E. Broad St. between April 17 and May 13, the court papers said.

In the affidavit, arresting Bethlehem Police Det. Bradford Jones wrote that he obtained surveillance video from the convenience store and observed the same man entering and leaving the store before and after each of the transactions. Jones distributed photos from the surveillance video to patrol officers.

On Saturday, according to the warrant, Bethlehem police Sgt. Derron Henning told Jones that Huron has been caught stealing from Mowrer before. Henning took the surveillance photo to Mowrer, who identified his grandson as the likely thief, court papers said.

Huron came to on Tuesday to be interviewed and, according to the warrant, admitted that he had gone to his grandfather’s house on Riverwoods Way, taken the ATM card and used it several times to withdraw cash.