Eighteen-year-old Derek Tate, of Westmont, is charged with corpse abuse and other counts in the April 17 burglary. The home's owner reported someone took the box, a baseball cap, jewelry and $20.
Police arrested Tate after the homeowner's son saw him wearing the stolen cap the next day.
Police say Tate won't tell them what happened to the box of ashes. They don't know if Tate realized what was in the box, and believe he may have presumed it contained valuables.
Tate's defense attorney says he won't comment until Tate's formal arraignment next month in Cambria County court.
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