SAXONBURG - Testimony at one preliminary hearing Wednesday linked Mars police Sgt. George Galovich Jr. to $807 in missing evidence from a drug case.

Galovich, at a second hearing, was connected to the alleged theft of $4,000 in fines and court costs he collected in his additional duties as a state constable.

District Justice Joseph O'Donnell ordered Galovich, 48, of Wexford, Allegheny County, held for court to face theft-related and other charges in both cases.

However, despite more than four hours of testimony implicating his client, attorney Michael Moser called the cases "flimsy," and insisted Galovich would be ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.

Galovich, a three-year, part-time Mars police officer and five-year constable, was charged earlier this year following separate investigations by the state police white-collar crime unit.

He was suspended without pay from his police position following the initial charges in the constable case but remains a constable, which is an elected post.

Galovich, as a constable, worked for the office of District Justice Sue Haggerty, as well as two other magisterial offices in Allegheny County.

Constables serve the district court system by serving warrants, liens, summonses, subpoenas and other legal papers.

If a person fails to pay the fine for a traffic ticket or some other summary offense, a constable - on an order from a district justice - will meet that person and collect the money.

Prosecutors allege that Galovich took cash and money orders from 13 people who owed money on traffic tickets and bad checks and other summary charges between May 2000 and October 2003, but failed to turn over the money to Haggerty's office.

Authorities said Galovich reimbursed some of the money, but only after he learned he was under police investigation.

Several witnesses testified at Wednesday's hearing that they paid Galovich between $50 and $600 in fines and court costs, only to later receive letters from the district justice's office indicating that they faced warrants for failure to pay.

Those defendants called Haggerty's office to raise questions about their cases, which last year prompted a review of Galovich's records and a subsequent police investigation, said Linda Drewencki, Haggerty's administrative assistant.

Trooper Gerald Markle testified that he corroborated the alleged thefts and spoke with Galovich on Nov. 19, 2003, about what he had uncovered during the investigation.

"He said he needed to talk to an attorney before he would agree to talk with me," Markle testified. "I thought that was unusual since he was a police officer."

Police on March 30 charged Galovich in the case. He faces charges in Butler County Court of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received and misapplication of entrusted property.

Haggerty noted she dismissed Galovich from serving her office last summer when suspicions first surfaced.

After Wednesday's hearing, Moser blamed "administrative and bookkeeping insufficiencies" at the district justice's office for his client's legal problems in the case.

Meanwhile, in the other case against Galovich, Mars police Chief Kevin Radford testified that on April 1 he discovered money missing from an evidence envelope secured at the police station.

He testified that Galovich had earlier seized the evidence, which included $807, taken from two defendants in a May 2003 drug case. The money was later placed in a pair of evidence envelopes.

Galovich on Feb. 11 had taken the envelopes with the money and case file information to a preliminary hearing for the defendants. He later returned the envelopes to the department's evidence room and placed them in a locked cabinet.

Prosecutors contend Galovich had taken the money, unbeknownst to Radford, who wouldn't discover the theft until he received a call from Eugene Hunter, a constable and friend of Galovich's.

Hunter testified that a day earlier, Galovich had stopped by his house "in tears," upset over the charges he faced in connection with the constable case.

Hunter said he consoled Galovich and offered to loan his friend $100 to help retain an attorney.

On April 1, Galovich returned to Hunter's house and accepted the offer. Hunter said he gave the defendant a $100 bill that he remembered had a distinctive black mark on the front.

Galovich asked Hunter for another favor - to meet him later at the Mars police station to speak with Radford.

"I didn't understand why" Galovich wanted to talk with the chief, but Hunter said he consented.

Hunter said he was "alarmed" by this request.

When Galovich and Hunter couldn't agree on a joint time to meet with Radford, Hunter decided to meet alone with the Mars chief.

Radford testified that at a point during that meeting, he checked on the envelopes from the drug case that were previously in Galovich's custody.

Radford said he opened the one envelope and found the case paperwork inside, but no money. The envelope, as marked, was supposed to contain $376.

"The chief got very angry," Hunter said. "There was nothing but paper (inside)."

Radford testified he took both envelopes and secured them in a different location at the station.

About 20 minutes later, Galovich arrived at the station and entered through the back door and went directly to the evidence room.

Galovich, who was holding a file folder and two evidence envelopes, apparently did not see Radford in the chief's office; it was not known if he saw Hunter, who was standing nearby.

Radford testified that he watched Galovich unlock a filing cabinet drawer used to store evidence and drop inside the two envelopes he carried. The chief testified that he knew that drawer was empty before Galovich had arrived.

Galovich then pulled the same envelopes back out of the drawer and took them into the chief's office, handing them to Radford.

"I asked him what (the envelopes) were doing in that drawer, but he didn't challenge me at that time," Radford said.

After Galovich left, Radford said he took the envelopes and secured them with the two original envelopes, and notified state police.

Markle the following day opened the second original envelope, which contained no money. That envelope was supposed to have $431.

Markle next opened the newer envelopes turned over by Galovich the day before and found currency totaling $807 inside them. However, the denominations were different than those in the original envelopes, Radford said.

Additionally, inside one of the envelopes was a $100 bill with a distinctive black mark on it - believed to be the bill that Hunter had given Galovich on April 1.

Moser, in his closing argument, claimed prosecutors had failed to show there was a theft in the case, noting "there was a return of funds and no indication of any attempt to deprive."

O'Donnell, however, disagreed and ordered Galovich held in the case on charges of theft by unlawful taking or disposition and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Moser, following the hearings, questioned the merits of the charges against his client, who is free on recognizance bond.

"For some reason, someone wants to make George the fall guy," Moser said. "I'm confident that at a later stage he'll be exonerated."