`christmas Carol' Scrimps On Energy

911 May Save Time, Lives -- But Not Jobs 
As The Final Hearing On Adopting 
The Streamlined Emergency Service 
Arrives, The Best Aspect Is Its Ease 
To Remember. The Worst Is The Jobs That Could Be 
Lost

By CHARLES H. BOGINO; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, December 01, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





WILKES-BARRE -- He was bold. They were old. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Michael Holovack's brazen acts of thievery caught up with him after his
elderly victims called police. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Wilkes-Barre teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday to a string of theft
charges and agreed to pay back his elderly victims. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Holovack, 18, told Judge Gifford S. Cappellini he was responsible for
nearly a dozen thefts, burglaries and robberies that netted him hundreds of
dollars and a car. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Holovack, of Sheridan Manor, targeted senior citizens, according to police.
Arrested earlier this year for the theft of a 90-year-old Wilkes-Barre man's
car, Holovack continued to steal once he was released on bail in March. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Holovack covered some ground, stealing in Wilkes-Barre and in the Hazleton
area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A brazen bandit, Holovack walked into his victims' homes and took items
from them as they watched. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In one case, Holovack barged into a 78-year-old man's Blackman Street home,
reached into the side pocket of the pants the man was wearing and took a
wallet containing $100. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Holovack's boldness helped get him caught. Several of his victims were
able to identify him from police photo arrays, according to court documents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Among Holovack's other crimes: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On May 19, Holovack pried open the kitchen window of an 84-year-old
Hazleton woman's Roosevelt Street home, ransacked several rooms and made off
with $500 the woman had stashed between the mattress and box spring on her
bed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also in May, Holovack broke into the Kent Street kitchen of two sisters in
the their 80s and took more than $400 from a purse. Two weeks earlier,
Holovack had walked into the sisters' home, but they chased him out and
changed the locks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Police said Holovack would watch his victims before robbing them and knew
at least one of them, having shoveled snow for her last winter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In all, Holovack pleaded guilty to seven counts of burglary, eight counts
of theft, one count of robbery as well as several other charges, including
criminal trespass and receiving stolen property. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In exchange for the guilty plea, Assistant District Attorney Michael G.
Nast and police agreed to keep silent at Holovack's sentencing. However, the
victims will be permitted to speak, and

Teen Pleads Guilty To Thefts From Elderly 18-year-old From Wilkes-barre Expected To Pay Back His Victims