(Credit: Central Bucks Regional Police)
A former interim vice president at Bucks County Community College, who was arrested earlier this month for allegedly burglarizing a high school, is now facing charges in a separate incident at a Catholic religious site.
Albert F. McLaughlin, 47, of Doylestown, was charged last month with criminal mischief and criminal trespassing by the New Britain Township Police Department.
According to an affidavit, police found McLaughlin in early August inside the basement of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, where he allegedly damaged a fire safety system.
The damage to the Catholic religious shrine was reportedly valued by authorities at $8,000.
A preliminary hearing on the New Britain Township charges is scheduled for Sept. 9 before Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage.
The charges follow an incident on Aug. 3 when the Central Bucks Regional Police Department accused McLaughlin of breaking into Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown Borough.
Police said he spent hours inside the high school and took several items.
Bucks County Community College fired McLaughlin after his initial arrest.
College spokesperson Dan Kanak said McLaughlin served as the interim vice president for enrollment management from July 14 to Aug. 7.
“He was hired through normal procedures, which included standard background checks and professional references,” Kanak said.
According to his LinkedIn page, McLaughlin’s professional background includes roles as a campus president for DeVry University and FORTIS College and Institutes. He also worked as a performance coach for a plumbing and HVAC business and as an operations director for an education company. His LinkedIn profile describes him as a “transformative leader” with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and corrections from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from DeVry University.
In the high school case, District Judge Mark Douple held charges of burglary defiant trespassing, theft, and receiving stolen property following a preliminary hearing. The charges have been forwarded onto the Court of Common Pleas for trial.
McLaughlin has been held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility unable to post bail on 10% of $50,000 cash, per court documents.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
