A man awaiting trial in a 2022 break-in and arson was arrested Monday night as Greensburg police said he was prowling around a home with a crowbar, handgun, binoculars and knives.
Randy W. Bryner, 62, of the Hempfield village of Bovard, was denied bail Tuesday on charges of attempted burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm and related offenses. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison.
Police were called to the home, which is down a long, wooded driveway from College Avenue, at 9 p.m. Monday after a suspicious person was seen on the resident’s Ring camera, according to court papers.
Bryner was found hiding behind a tree wearing the same clothing seen on the surveillance footage, police said. Next to him, authorities, said, was a handgun and a backpack containing crowbars, duct tape, a large amount of napkins, flashlights, binoculars, gloves and knives.
Police reported finding a basement window ajar with paint missing from the corners.
Bryner told investigators he had been sleeping for the past few nights in the basement of a separate home on the property, unbeknownst to the owner, according to court papers. He did not have an attorney listed in the new case. A March 19 preliminary hearing is set.
Bryner initially was jailed at the time of his January 2022 arrest in connection with a blaze that destroyed a Hempfield home, injured two firefighters and killed three family dogs. He was released on house arrest later that year, a condition that was lifted in October by Judge Timothy Kriger.
In October, Bryner told Krieger he wasn’t able to afford an attorney because of personal setbacks and costs associated with home electronic monitoring.
Investigators believe Bryner took 200 silver coins valued at up to $5,000 from the Farmington Place home before it was destroyed. Troopers said he was seen on the homeowners’ pet camera minutes before the Jan. 2, 2022, fire broke out while they were on vacation. Bryner had previously been hired by the homeowners to do a few outdoor chores, and they recognized his voice on the video recording talking to the dogs, according to preliminary hearing testimony. He wasn’t supposed to be at the house while the family was gone.
State police ruled the fire arson.
Bryner is charged with 19 counts in connection with the fire including multiple felony offenses of arson, aggravated cruelty to animals, burglary and other related charges. A trial readiness conference is scheduled for March 31.
He previously was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison on burglary charges stemming from a 2013 incident in Northampton County, according to state court records. He was released in August 2020. His criminal history dates to the 1980s.