A Plum teacher has been suspended as a result of charges filed last week accusing him and his wife of breaking into a neighbor's home in January and stealing bed sheets, five suits, a washing machine and a broom.

Michael R. Verrico, 47, and his wife, Heather Verrico, 33, were charged Dec. 10 with criminal conspiracy, burglary, theft by unlawful taking, criminal mischief and tampering with evidence. Mr. Verrico is also charged with corruption of minors.

Mr. Verrico, a physical education teacher at Oblock Junior High School in Plum, has been placed on administrative leave.

"After reviewing the complaint, the alleged incident occurred outside the scope of the individual’s professional duties and is in no way related to any district responsibilities," school district spokeswoman Charlene Payne said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

"The Plum Borough School District will take every step possible to maintain the health, safety and welfare of our students and staff," she said. 

Mr. Verrico and his wife, as well as a 17-year-old, entered a neighbor's home through an unlocked, closed garage door in the 600 block of Presque Isle Drive in Plum sometime between Jan. 1 and Jan. 3, a criminal complaint said.

The two homes are connected by a driveway, police said.

Once inside, Mr. Verrico instructed the minor to grab bed sheets while he tried on a suit, police said. They left with five suits, a broom and the sheets, the minor told police. The couple later returned and took a washing machine from the downstairs basement and later destroyed it, police said.

A motive for the burglary was not immediately clear, and Plum police could not be reached for comment.

At least four witnesses — three of whom are minors — are expected to testify at a preliminary hearing and trial, a criminal complaint said. They told police they saw the Verricos go inside the neighboring home and discard some of the items later.

Mr. and Mrs. Verrico maintained to police that they were not involved. A person who answered the phone at the Verrico residence Tuesday said he had no comment.

First Published: December 17, 2019, 6:35 p.m.