Preliminary hearing waived for woman accused of falsely reporting stolen toys

PITTSBURGH — A woman accused of making a false police report about missing Christmas presents was in court Tuesday when her preliminary hearing was waived.

Police said Carmen Randall reported in December that dozens of toys were missing from the East Hill Community Center, prompting the donation of more toys. However, it was later learned that the toys were not missing. %

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“Nobody came back and said they didn't receive the toys they were promised. More toys were given. None of them were kept for herself or for her children,” Milton Raiford, Randall’s attorney, said.

Raiford said that he waived Randall’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday because he is working with the District Attorney’s Office to make a deal for her to enter into the ARD program, and to have the charge of making a false report to law enforcement erased from her record.

“Her heart's condition was to give out toys, not to violate the law,” Milton Raiford, Randall’s attorney, said. “It's convoluted. It could be anything from bad recordkeeping to how many toys she gave. Put it this way, she didn't benefit by … all she did was give away toys that she got to everybody that needed them.”

Randall has since resigned from position on the East Hill Tenant Council.

Cox Media Group