The Delaware County Daily Times, delcotimes.com
BYLINE: Linda Reilly, Times Correspondent

Upper Darby, DE


Robert Herdelin stands inside the Upper Darby Public Safety building on Monday. Rick Kauffman — Daily Times

UPPER DARBY >> Robert Herderlin, a township taxpayer, still wants to know who allegedly took $8,000 from a police department evidence locker in 2011.

The former owner of Cheers Bar, 69th and Market streets, returned to the public safety building, 7236 West Chester Pike, Monday to urge police Superintendent Michael Chitwood to take a polygraph test again.

“The money was taken from a woman’s house five years ago (by police),” Herdelin said in the lobby of the building. “A judge ordered it be returned by sundown, but the money was gone. Only three people had access to the safe. I think he knows who did it. Where’s the money? Chitwood’s answer was it was probably burned in an evidence burn. That’s ridiculous. He knows.”

An investigation by police and the Delaware County District Attorney’s office never determined what happened to the money, but the township took action to return $8,000 to the woman.

Herdelin wants Chitwood to take a polygraph test, something he claims the chief agreed to five years ago and never showed up.

Five years ago Herdelin, 72, wore a pin-stripped suit for the July press conference in boiling heat. Monday, a black leather coat topped the same suit while he talked about his crusade in the lobby.

“I’ve got a polygraph guy standing by,” Herdelin said. “He can be here in five minutes. The money was stolen pure and simple. It was stolen from the Upper Darby taxpayers. The rank and file didn’t do it.”

Herdelin claims he pays in excess of $50,000 in real estate taxes for properties he owns in Delaware County.

Chitwood was in his second-floor office at the time of Herdelin’s challenge.

“The district attorney’s office looked at it and could not say what happened to the money,” Chitwood said. “We changed our procedures afterwards in the evidence room. If I knew who did it, I would say something. If he has information that somebody stole the money, he should go to the FBI or the AG’s office with any information. It’s been looked at.

“I’ve got a 6-inch high stack of paperwork from when he sued me. He tried to sue me for this.”

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