Theft charges against a Clay Township man who paid a utility bill last fall with privately made coins were dropped Friday after the man paid the bill in U.S. currency.

Fritz Schrom, a 47-year-old Constitution Party activist, was charged Jan. 31 with theft by deception for using silver and copper coins made by Liberty Dollar to pay an electric bill at a Weis Markets in Penn Township.

Schrom's preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday. But before it began, he and his attorney, public defender David Blanck, agreed to pay the $111 bill with U.S. dollars, and the theft charges were withdrawn.

When Schrom emerged from the courtroom, about eight supporters — most of them wearing "Ron Paul for President" buttons — congratulated him.

Paul, a Republican congressman and presidential candidate, supports the legalization of parallel currencies, such as gold-backed notes issued from private companies, to compete with Federal Reserve notes.

Schrom, who has campaigned for Paul, contends that privately issued coins are legal, citing as proof the U.S. Constitution's provision that "no state shall … make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts."

He estimates he's paid for about $80,000 worth of goods and services with Liberty Dollar coins over the past 18 months, spending most of the money in Lancaster County.

Schrom said he was prepared to fight the charges against him to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/219006