Canonsburg Man to Stand Trial on Burglary, Theft, Drug Paraphernalia Charges

A Canonsburg man charged with burglary,theft by unlawful taking and possession of drug paraphernalia waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will stand trial.

The charges against Shawl Lenehan, 24, stem from an incident April 7 at the Seven Fields convenience store in the borough.

According to a criminal affidavit filed by Canonsburg police, Lenehan reportedly entered the store while the clerk and an off-duty state police officer were placing propane the man had just purchased into his car.

While the pair were outside the store, “(The off-duty) officer noticed a white male with his hoodie up enter the store and made a mental note that it was odd that the guy had his hood up due to the hot weather.”

A few seconds later, the officer noticed the man—Lenehan—walk out of the store with a bulge in the front area of his hoodie, court records indicate.

That’s when the clerk re-entered the store and noticed that the cash box was missing from the back counter, according to court records.

“(The trooper) then began to chase the suspect through the parking lot and up first street extension, where he captured him,” the criminal affidavit indicates.

Canonsburg police arrived then, and officers noticed loose change scattered up and down the roadway.

Police recovered the cash box in some brush at the bottom of the roadway. It was determined that a total of $277.80 had been taken.

When police patted Lenehan down, they found a wad of cash, a ring box filled with gold earrings, a spoon (that officers said is typically used for cooking heroin) and a used, capped needle.

Lenehan had video arraigned by District Judge Joshua Kanalis April 7 and remanded to the Washington County Jail after he was unable to post a $25,000 straight bond.

However, district Judge David Mark on Wednesday changed that to a $10,000 percentage bond.