Police: Man Stole, Sold Items Belonging to Dead 'Friend'

A Pen Argyl man has been accused of stealing a motorcycle, guns, coins and other items from a man he called “his friend” who died about two weeks after the suspect watched the man being taken in an ambulance from his Plainfield Township home, according to court records.

The suspect, Dylan John Weiss, 31, of 510 N. Schanck Ave. told police he was in the process of buying the Suzuki motorcycle from the man for $300 and that he knew nothing about the guns and denied taking them. Police say four guns were stolen -- two .22-caliber rifles, one 308 rifle and a shotgun.

Weiss also told police the man, Dennis Lucykanish, gave him his wallet and house keys before being taken away by ambulance on Sept. 30 (Weiss said the ambulance was dispatched by Weiss’ girlfriend). Weiss said he visited Lucykanish at , where Lucykanish told him to remove “Act 64” (a reference to drugs) and several sets of keys from inside a safe. Weiss said he did this because “he was his friend,” the records say.

According to an obituary in The Express-Times, Lucykanish, 61, died Oct. 15 at St. Luke’s. He is survived by four sons, three brothers and three grandchildren. His wife died last year.

On Oct. 20, police were called to Lucykanish’s home at 1 Parsons Road, where his brother, Michael, told police about the theft. He said Weiss had been doing work at his brother’s home “and may have been involved,” the records say. Michael said his brother had left him -- Michael -- his estate.

In a separate case, meanwhile, police recovered a .22-caliber “Marlin” model 80 rifle and a brown wooden stick to a shotgun during the Oct. 22 arrest of Derek Crowley, the records say. Crowley told police he bought the rifle from Weiss for $100 and was making a “pistol grip” with the wooden shotgun stick Weiss had given him.

In an Oct. 28 interview at Monroe County Prison, Crowley told police he bought the rifle from Weiss after Lucykanish had died. He also said Weiss had a backpack filled with silver coins, a collectible knife and paper money.

On Nov. 30, police talked to another man who said Weiss had shown him “a few coins and silverware” and asked if he wanted to buy them for $300. Weiss also told the man the items “were a relative’s that had died.” The man declined to buy the items because Weiss didn’t have a receipt or proof of ownership.

Weiss was arraigned Thursday by District Judge Adrianne Masut of Wind Gap on charges of burglary, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal trespass. He was released after posting 10 percent of $10,000 bail.