According to the Pottsville Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 11:12 p.m. on December 28, 2025, to the 100 block of North 8th Street for a reported breaking and entering in progress. While en route, police were advised that the address was a condemned property and that a nearby resident had called 911 after hearing banging noises followed by movement coming from inside the building.
Upon arrival, officers observed a man partially hanging out of a first-floor window, attempting to exit the structure. Police detained the individual, later identified as Robert James Mayberry, 64, of Pottsville.
Police noted a strong odor of alcohol coming from Mayberry. Officers reported that, unprovoked, Mayberry stated that individuals named “Stephen and Shirl” told him he could break into the building and take whatever he wanted. Police stated the apartment has been condemned for approximately two months and had a clearly visible red “condemned” warning placard displayed on the front door.
An air conditioner that had been removed to gain access to the building was found on the ground near the open window, according to police.
A search incident to arrest allegedly revealed a nearly empty 355 mL bottle of Fireball whiskey and an EBT card belonging to another individual.
Mayberry was charged with felony criminal trespass—breaking into a structure, loitering and prowling at night, and public drunkenness.
He was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and committed to Schuylkill County Prison on $5,000 straight cash bail.
Mayberry remains incarcerated. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, January 5, 2026, before Magisterial District Judge James Reiley.