Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-19
Police Private
Charged With
Break-In Here
Seized With Friend
In Empty Theoter
In Southeast

"A washington policeman and
a friend were charged with
HOUSEKEEPING today after they
were found under mysterious
circumstances in a dark, empty
Southeast theater.
An hour after he was dis
covered at 3 am. hiding in a
room behind the screen of the
Highland Theater, 1888 Penn
sylvania avenue Sc, Pvt. Ray
mond Louis Taft. "a, was sus-
pended from the force by
Eleventh Precinct 1t. John c.
Gibboney.
Police found the second man,
Robert Cole. 81, lying on the
floor of an alcove near the
mems room. There was a bump
on his head for which he was
treated at District General
Hospital. Both Pvt. Taft, a
policeman for three years, and
Cole live at 1912 Wheeler road
Sc. Cole is employed by a safe
and lock company. police said.
Another Case Studied
Capt. Francis Davis, COM
handing officer of the Eleventh
Precinct, said Pvt. Taft had
made a statement which ap-
peared to involve Taft and Cole
in a case on November 9, 1861,
when safe in a restaurant on
the same block as the theater
was looted. About $1,000 was
taken.
Capt. Davis said the robbery
was at fuckers Restaurant at
2521 Pennsylvania avenue Sc.
Police have brought no
charges on this case but will
present the evidence to a grand
jury, Capt. Davis said.
Pvt. Taft, a native of Mil
waukee, offered his resignation
to Capt. Davis after being
questioned and charged at the
station house this morning.
Later. Taft and Cole appeared
before United States Commits
sioner Sam Werlich and were
held under $4,000 bond each
for a preliminary hearing
March 6.
The officers wife, Myra Ann,
and two children, a girl, 3, and
a boy, 2, live in Plymouth,
N. c. His record at police head
quarters indicates a trial board
fined him 500 in 1860 for fail
ing to communicate with his
station house.
Says He Was Hit
Inspector Charles L. Wright
said Cole told police he was
struck on the sidewalk and
thrown into the theater early
today. Inspector Wright gave
this account of the investiga-
ton:
Pvt. Ronald j. Andrade, al
policeman on the beat, thought
he saw two men disappear
into the theater and sum-
moned additional police. They
arrived in force-10 of them,
including a lieutenant and two
canine corpSmen.
But they found the theater
locked. Covering all entrances,
they waited an hour until the
manager, Llyod G. Wineland,
IS, of 816 West Boulevard
drive, Alexandria, arrived with
a key.
After finding Cole, they con-
tinued the search into a small
storage room behind the screen.
There they detected Pvt. Taft
under some upholstery ma
terial.
Nearby under some cloth
police found a pair of bolt
cutters, a 21a-foot wrecking
bar, steel concrete bits and an
8-inch punch.
Pvt. Taft, who had been off
duty since 8 am. Sunday, was
dressed in civilian clothes but
had his service revolver and
badge, as we'll as a pair of
black gloves.
The safe in an upstairs office
had not been touched, and the
door to the office was still
locked.
Police learned that a custo-
dian at the theater, had given
a policeman a key to the
theater about six months ago
so he could get out of the
weather. From this Taft had a
duplicate made and turned
back the original, Inspector
Wright said.