PINEY TWP., Pa. (EYT) – Two Sligo residents have been charged after police say they sold a shipping container that did not belong to them. 

Court documents indicate Clarion-based State Police filed criminal charges against 46-year-old Thomas Harold Cordwell and 44-year-old Jennifer Dawn Cordwell, both of Sligo.

The charges stem from an investigation into a series of events that occurred in August and September 2021.

According to a criminal complaint, on September 23, 2021, police were contacted by a known man, who went to a residence on State Route 68, in Piney Township, Clarion County, to pick up a shipping container for his employer–Specialized Transportation Enterprises, Inc.

When the man arrived at the residence, the shipping container was not on the property. The individuals who live at the residence–Thomas Cordwell and Jennifer Cordwell–were former employees of the company.

Upon arrival, police attempted to interview the Cordwells, they declined to talk to the investigating officer and asked him to leave the property.

The Specialized Transportation Enterprises, Inc. employee told police that his company wanted him to pick up the container and that his boss became aware that Thomas and Jennifer Cordwell were going to “sell the container to get money that they had felt that they deserved,” according to the complaint.

The employee told police that when he arrived at the residence, the shipping container was not there and the Cordwells said they “had no idea where it went,” the complaint indicates.

On September 25, 2021, around 3:00 p.m., the shipping container was located at a residence on Fairmount Avenue, in Fairmount City, Clarion County. Documentation provided by Specialized Transportation Enterprises, Inc. was used to confirm the shipping container was owned by the company.

The homeowner that was in possession of the shipping container was identified and interviewed by police. She related she had been looking for a shipping container and saw that Thomas Cordwell and Jennifer Cordwell had one listed for sale on Facebook for $2,500.00, the complaint notes.

The homeowner further explained to police that she sent a message about purchasing the container and received a message back on August 26, 2021, indicating “the first $2,500.00 takes it.” She went to the residence with her husband on August 29, 2021, and purchased the container for $2,500.00. On September 18, 2021, the shipping container was delivered to their house, the complaint states.

Thomas Cordwell and Jennifer Cordwell each face the following charges:

– Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, Misdemeanor 1 – Theft by Deception – False Impression, Misdemeanor 1 – Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 1

The above charges were filed on Monday, July 11, in Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller’s office.

They are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, August 3, at 10:00 a.m. in front of Judge Miller.