The third of three men charged with a series of burglaries last spring and summer in the western part of Schuylkill County entered a guilty plea and was sentenced recently.

Jeremy James McHenry, 20, Pine Grove Township, entered a guilty plea recently in the Schuylkill County court to 73 criminal counts but under a plea agreement was sentenced on 47 of them by Judge Charles M. Miller. Miller merged 26 counts and sentenced him to serve 18 to 36 months in a state correctional institution. His sentence is to begin at the expiration of a sentence he is now serving imposed by McHenry was also directed to pay restitution totaling $9,332.50 to a number of victims whose homes and vehicles were burglarized. He was sentenced on 15 counts of criminal conspiracy, 14 counts of burglary, 13 counts of theft, four counts of criminal mischief and one count of criminal trespass. He was charged with burglarizing nine homes and four vehicles in the Pine Grove, Hegins, Wayne. Washington, Tremont and Butler townships area last spring and summer.

He was ordered to make restitution to the following victims:

State Farm Insurance Company, $1,641.43; Sandra McLivee, $500; Morgan Station, Pine Grove Tlownship; $600, Earl Ryland, Moyer Station, Wayne Township; $250, Joan Bailer. Pleasant Valley Road, Pine Grove Township; Gregory and Jennifer Kennenitz, Malone Road, Butler Township; $500, Shadle Insurance Company; $100, George Ankenbrandt, Station Road, Washington Township; and $194.62, Henry Rutecki, Hegins Township.

Darrin Michael Schneck, Pine Grove, was sentenced this past September by President Judge William E. Baldwin to serve one to two years in the state correctional institution after he peladed guilty to his involvement in the series of burglaries and Justin M. Blouch, Pine Grove, was sentenced by Judge Miller last August to serve six to 12 months in a state prison for his involvement.

Changes plea

Keith Daniel Benjamin, 24, Shenanandoah, was on trial Friday before a jury when he changed his mind about proceeding and entered a guilty plea to charges of criminal conspiracy with an accomplice to commit burglary. Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin accepted the plea and deferred sentence to a later date and ordered a presentence investigative report prepared by the adult probation department.

In another criminal action tried before Judge Dolbin a jury found Keith Napolean Williams, 24, an inmate at the state correctional institution in Ryan Township, not guilty of assaulting another inmate. He claimed self defense.

Can't reach verdict

A jury told President Judge William E. Baldwin they were hopelessly deadlocked and could not reach a verdict in the trial of Ernest Dale Schaeffer Jr., 33, Pine Grove, charged with being sexually involved with a 13 year old giirl on his father's property in Deturksville, Washington Township, this past summer.

Baldwin dismissed the jury and turned the case back to the district attorney for further consideration whether to be tried again. What made it difficult for the jury to reach a verdict was the defendant denied the allegations and a doctor from the Children's Research Center testified examination of the girl didn't prove nor disapprove that a sexual act occurred.

Found guilty

Brandon Ross Snyder, 26, of Second St., Quakake, Rush Township, was found guilty by a jury of criminal conspiracy with an accomplice to sell six bags of heroin to a confidential informant for the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force.

Testimony was the allege sale took place in the parking lot of a pizza store on Center Turnpike in Rush Township in January 2008. Miller deferred sentence to a later date and requested a presentence investigative report.

Tracy Leigh Fuehrer, 35, of Mahanoy City, was found guilty by a jury of drug charges. Judge Baldwin deferred sentence and requested a presentence investigative report.

A member of the Schuylkill County Drug Task Force testified Fueher sold a drug named oxycodone in the borough in Dec. 2007. She was convicted of two counts -delivery of a controlled substance and possession.

When his case was called for trial before a jury, D'Angelo Pringle, 33, Schuykill Haven, changed his mind about going to trial and entered a plea of guilty to drug charges brought against him by Sgt. Robert W. Phillips, Schuylkill Haven police. Miller accepted the guilty plea and deferred sentence to Jan. 22.