Two must repay $6k they stole from man who offered them a home

March 15, 2001

Two must repay $6k they stole from man who offered them a home

A man and a woman who drained $6,000 from the bank account of a Hagerstown man who gave two of them a home last summer must repay what they stole, a Circuit Court judge ordered Tuesday after the two pleaded guilty to theft.

Another man also pleaded guilty in the theft.

- Robert Shane Petrie, 22, of the 12100 block of Heather Drive, pleaded guilty to felony theft Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court.

Judge Donald Beachley gave Petrie a three-year suspended sentence, placed him on probation for three years, and ordered him to perform 50 hours of community service. Petrie must pay $4,266 restitution to the man at $200 per month.

- Shawna Lynn Kelly, 18, of 10129 Sharpsburg Pike, also pleaded guilty to felony theft.

Beachley gave Kelly a two-year suspended sentence, three years probation, and ordered her to repay the man $2,370.

- James Richard Harris, 20, who lived at the same address as Petrie, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft.

Beachley granted Harris probation before judgment for three years and ordered him to perform 20 hours of community service.

Assistant Washington County State's Attorney Arthur Rozes told Beachley that the victim is 58 years old and a client of adult protective services through the Department of Social Services.

Last July and August, the man allowed Petrie and Kelly to live with him and let them use his car in exchange for errands they did for him, Rozes said.

Unbeknownst to the victim, the couple and Harris were writing and cashing checks from his checking account, supposedly for car repairs.

When shown the number of checks they had written, the man told Washington County Sheriff's deputies that he felt "stupid."

- Marlo Barnhart

|

|

|