Preliminary Hearing Set for Rodney Heaton
LOCK HAVEN – A preliminary hearing for Rodney Lee Heaton, 53, charged with various counts in relation to the “suspicious” death of a Lock Haven woman, has been scheduled for Jan. 31 in the Clinton County Courthouse.
Heaton, represented by local attorney and public defender Thom Rosamilia, was at the Clinton County Courthouse for his first appearance today. The defendant was not present in the courtroom, where Rosamilia, District Attorney David Strouse and Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Long discussed the case briefly before moving on to set a date for the preliminary hearing.
On Dec. 29, Heaton was arraigned on four counts of identity theft, four counts of access device fraud, four counts of theft by unlawful taking, four counts of theft by deception and four counts of receiving stolen property.
“It is possible there will be other charges, but it’s going to take some time,” District Attorney David Strouse said Monday after the first appearance.
During Heaton’s arraignment, District Judge Joseph Sanders set monetary bail at $20,000, with conditions. Heaton must appear at all times until the case is settled, must obey all orders of bail authority, must provide a current address and give written notice of any address changes with 48 hours of said change, may not intimidate or retaliate against any witnesses or victims, must refrain from criminal activity, and comply with fingerprint orders if issued.
At the preliminary hearing on Jan. 31, District Judge Frank Mills will determine if the Commonwealth has charged Heaton appropriately in the case. If charges are upheld and no plea agreements are reached, the case will move forward.
Heaton was incarcerated in the Clinton County Correctional Facility on a bench warrant for an arrest in 2013 when he was charged last Tuesday with the alleged crimes related to the body found at 5 Corning St. on Dec. 22.
Since, the defendant was transferred out of the Clinton County prison due to a relative working at the prison. He is now being housed at the Centre County Prison in Bellefonte.
Police suspect the woman’s body is that of Teresa Hill, who resided in Apartment 4 and whose identity Heaton had been allegedly using since she died in July 2015 at the age of 59.
Heaton told police he had been staying with Teresa in July 2015 and after being away for three or four days he returned to find her deceased. After finding Hill dead, Heaton said, he wrapped her body inside an air mattress before duct-taping it shut, tying it in cord, rolling it in carpet and placing it on the back porch of the second-floor apartment.
Heaton, who noted in court documents that he had been working for Garbrick’s Amusement for about one year, ending in October 2016, as a laborer and carnival worker earning roughly $210 per week, told police he concealed Hill’s body so he could continue to use her money and apartment.
The body was found by a cleaning crew the morning of Dec. 22, prompting city police and assisting investigators from the state police Crime Scene Unit to close of Corning Street. Before finding the body, the crew had thrown the rolled up carpet off of the second floor porch, and they were loading it onto a trailer when a socked foot became exposed. The crew immediately notified police and the investigation began.
According to court documents, Heaton used Teresa Hill’s Department of Human Services Access Card to make purchases of varying amounts at Weis Markets, 313-327 W. Bald Eagle St., and Save-A-Lot, 120 E. Walnut St., on four separate occasions between Jan. 14 and Dec. 19, 2016. Heaton was observed on surveillance at Save-A-Lot using Hill’s card on Dec. 19.
Heaton told police he used Hill’s Access Card to purchase food to distribute among his friends, according to the criminal complaint. Aside from using Hill’s Access Card, Heaton also withdrew Hill’s money from her Santander Bank account monthly.
Once he learned the body had been found, Heaton threw the Access and Santander Bank cards away in a dumpster behind 400 S. Fairview St.
During the city police’s investigation, they learned from Rachel Smith, property manager for R&W Properties, LLC, which owns the building that houses 5 W. Corning St., Heaton had been staying in Hill’s apartment without authorization until November 2016. Smith told police Hill had not been paying rent or seen in months, and was mailed an eviction notice on Aug. 4, 2016.
On Oct. 6, Wayne Bitner – one of the three cleaners who found the body – saw Heaton at Hill’s apartment and Heaton told Bitner that Hill had moved out.
Court documents also reveal that Heaton had been recently staying at 400 S. Fairview St., Apartment 4, with Hill’s son, Irvin John Hill, as well as at the home of Susan Fox at 522 Frederick St., Apartment Rear C.
Irvin John Hill told police he last spoke to his mother around July 2015, and he had been told by Heaton that she had moved away around that time.
When police executed a search warrant at the residences, they found receipts in Heaton’s belongings showing purchases using Hill’s Access Card. A search of the dumpster behind Irvin Hill’s residence did not turn up the cards Heaton allegedly threw out there.
Teresa’s photo ID, medical ID card, a Santander card with account numbers, and PPL bills were recovered during the searches, along with various receipts and six pieces of mail addressed to Teresa.
Although the investigation has led police to suspect the deceased individual is Teresa Hill, they are still awaiting DNA results to positively identify the woman. Det. Sgt. Kristin Smith said there are no outstanding missing person reports.
Toxicology and anatomical tests are being performed to determine the cause and manner of death, Clinton County Coroner Zach Hanna confirmed.
