Underage men break into closed bar, steal beer, cause damage, police say

Two men are facing felony charges after allegedly sneaking their way into a downtown State College bar early Sunday.

According to State College police, an employee called officers at about 9:40 a.m. after finding two men inside The Saloon at 101 Hiester Street in the borough. Both were reportedly seen inside the closed bar and had run from the employee.

Officers were able to stop the two men along Wilson Alley, police said, where they were identified as Ryan S. Hartman, 19, of Barto, and Willard H. Snell IV, 19, of West Chester.

A review of surveillance footage reportedly showed both had entered The Deli & Z-Bar, located above The Saloon, at about 8:10 a.m. police said. They were confronted by an employee who told the two they weren’t open and they had to leave.

Both left but returned and re-entered shortly after, police said. Once inside, they moved to avoid being noticed through the establishment, as Snell was allegedly seen taking an iPad and charger from the hostess area of the deli.

Both moved to The Saloon, which is accessible through The Deli, police said. Once in the bar, they reportedly dumped large containers of cherries and filled them with beer and also removed bottles of beer from coolers.

They claimed to be friends of the owner when confronted by an employee, police said, and ran once outside. Both were determined to have been in the bar for more than an hour drinking alcohol and damaging items.

The total loss to the establishment is unknown at this time, police said.

Hartman was found with a backpack containing several beers taken from the bar, police said, along with a small amount of marijuana in a plastic bag, a glass jar with suspected marijuana wax and Xanax pills. He was reportedly found to be visibly intoxicated.

Snell was also found with a baggy of marijuana, a grinder and a bottle of beer on his person, police said. He too was reported to be visibly intoxicated.

Both were arraigned Sunday before District Judge Allen Sinclair, according to court documents, and charged with a felony count each of burglary, misdemeanor charges of defiant trespassing, theft and possession of controlled substances, and other summary charges. Straight monetary bail was set at $25,000 each and they were taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility.

Preliminary hearings are slated for Nov. 15.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Underage men break into closed bar, steal beer, cause damage, police say."