Coatesville detective charged with theft, forgery from fellow officers


A Coatesville detective was charged with a myriad of theft and forgery offenses Tamid accusations that he repeatedly stole from his fellow officers over a several year period.
Gerald Pawling, who retired from the police force in 2012 after 17 years on duty, was arraigned on criminal charges at Magisterial District Judge Jeffery J. Valocchi’s court in Thorndale. The former detective was charged with eight felony counts of forgery and 51 counts of theft by unlawful taking.

Pawling is accused of stealing over $46,000 from the Coatesville Police Benevolent Association, or the CPBA, the collective bargaining union made up of his fellow officers. The alleged thefts took place from 2009 to 2012, investigators said.