A Nesquehoning man admitted stealing over $2,000 worth of merchandise from a borough store.

Stephen Michael Soldridge, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of retail theft for incidents at the Top Star minimart along East Catawissa Street.Judge Joseph J. Matika, who accepted the plea, said Soldridge got a huge break when the district attorney's office let him plea to just one count of retail theft.The investigation by Nesquehoning police showed that Soldridge stole a total of $2,023.90 worth of items during the time frame of April 16, 2016, to Jan. 16.Soldridge stole some of the items while employed at the store. Police viewed store surveillance cameras to determine the number of thefts, which Soldridge admitted to when confronted by officers.Matika said if the commonwealth had made him plead to all the counts that they could have filed, he would have probably faced a state prison term.Matika placed him on probation for two years and ordered he make restitution for the amount taken, render 100 hours of community service, pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee and stay out of the store.