A 20-year-old Mahoning Township resident accused of stealing checks from his family to fuel a heroin addiction has a preliminary hearing scheduled for next week.

Zachiry Kerschner, of Boyko Drive, will be in court Jan. 21, on charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, forgery, flight to avoid apprehension, theft by deception and possession of drug paraphernalia.Mahoning Township police were called to Kerschner's home on Dec. 21 to investigate the stolen checks.Kerschner, however, had fled the residence.Officers called him to tell him there was an existing active warrant out for his arrest from the state police at Lehighton.Kerschner told the police he was In Lehighton, but refused to turn himself in.Officers searched the area around his home and found him hiding in an abandoned barn off of Beaver Run Drive.Kerschner was in possession of a syringe and an iPad.In an interview with officers, he admitted stealing checks and using them at Walmart to purchase five iPad's over a seven-day period in December.The checks were written out for a total of $2,292.78.Kerschner sold four iPad's on the street and at GameStop in Lehighton to support his heroin addiction, police said.In addition to the iPad in his possession, police recovered two from GameStop.Kerschner remains in Carbon County Prison in lieu of $25,000, ten percent, bail.