Police: Teen Stole Family's $100K Coin Collection To Buy Marijuana

LATROBE, Pa. (KDKA) - A Greater Latrobe High School student is behind bars, charged with the theft of thousands of dollars in rare coins from his own family.

State police say Alec Curran stole an entire collection of precious coins.

Curran said he and two schoolmates came up with the scheme but investigators say right now, there's no proof of that and the coins are still nowhere to be found.

Investigators say 19-year-old Curran's plan was basic.

"(The plan was) to try and steal $100,000 of rare coins from Mr. Curran's parents," said trooper Stephen Limani.

Troopers say the high school senior needed to only walk down the hall of his family home to find what he was after.

"These coins were kept in a part of the house where there was a safe. You'd have to knowledge to get into the safe. You'd have to have either a key or a combination to get in there," said Limani.

Initially, Curran told detectives it wasn't him but when asked to take a polygraph test, Curran admitted to taking the coins but said he wasn't alone. Curran told troopers two fellow students at Latrobe high school were in on "the job" as Curran called it, but when the alleged co-conspirators spoke to investigators, Limani said they denied any involvement.

In this case of "home is where the heist is," troopers say they're still trying to figure out where the coins are. As for an alleged motive for all of this, Curran told troopers, "his cut in this elaborate scheme was going to be five large bags of marijuana," Limani said.

Curran's family members declined comment. Curran is in the Westmoreland County Jail held on $50,000 bond, charged with unlawful taking.