Man wears cardboard box at Pa. hearing

GREENSBURG, Pa. - A man accused of theft arrived for a preliminary hearing wearing a cardboard box on his head in an effort to conceal his identity.

Justin Michael Kalich, 26, wore the box at the suggestion of his lawyer while he waited outside a judge's office for an appointment Thursday morning.

"I'm trying to think outside of the box, so to speak," attorney Jeff Leonard said.

Leonard said the move was prompted by concerns over whether a witness would be able to identify his client in connection with a July theft of reel wire.

The witness might see a photo lineup before his client went into the courtroom for a hearing, he added.

"This was kind of a simple way to force the commonwealth to meet its burden without the defendant having to reveal his identity," Leonard said.

Charges were dropped at the hearing when Kalich reached an agreement to pay for the wire, valued at less than $600, according to Leonard and police.