Criminal charges have been dropped against a 20-year-old man accused of stealing from his grandfather, former Bethlehem Mayor Gordon B. Mowrer, after Mowrer decided he didn't want to prosecute.
Forrest G. Huron, of Hanover Township, Northampton County, faced allegations of theft, receiving stolen property and access device fraud for allegedly swiping Mowrer's bank card and withdrawing $1,250 from the account in April and May.
"I've noticed a change in him," Mowrer said Wednesday of his grandson, whom he sees regularly. "He's a different kid. He really is doing beautifully. I'm impressed and I can be critical."
On Tuesday, county prosecutors withdrew the charges, citing Mowrer's decision. Huron will make restitution, and Mowrer said he is already in the process of doing so.
"Everybody deserves a second chance," Mowrer said.
Mowrer, 76, served a term as Bethlehem mayor in the 1970s, and was appointed interim mayor in 1987 when Mayor Paul Marcincin was forced to leave office because he exceeded the city's two-term limit. Mowrer also was a veteran city councilman, but did not seek reelection in 2011.
