DELAWARE CO. (WOLF) — An Ephrata Borough man accused of stealing human remains and artifacts from multiple Pennsylvania cemeteries has waived his formal arraignment in Delaware County Court, allowing the case to move to the next stage.
Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, did not appear in court Wednesday. Court records show his attorney waived the formal arraignment on his behalf. The case is now expected to proceed to a pre-trial conference, where prosecutors and defense attorneys will discuss the status of the case and future court scheduling.
Gerlach faces 496 criminal counts in Delaware County stemming from alleged thefts and break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery & Arboretum in Yeadon. The charges include 24 counts of burglary, numerous theft and trespassing offenses, 100 counts of abuse of a corpse, dozens of receiving stolen property charges and multiple counts involving the desecration of monuments and burial places…