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A Baltimore County man could face a minimum of 10 years in prison after a Washington County Circuit Court jury convicted him this week of robbing a Hagerstown area jewelry store in 2008. Bashawn Moneak Montgomery, 33, of Reisterstown was also convicted on Monday of second-degree assault and several theft and credit-card offenses. The jury, however, found him not guilty of false imprisonment in the June 8, 2008, robbery at King’s Jewelry in Valley Mall. Assistant State’s Attorney Christopher McCormack said he will ask the court to impose an enhanced sentence because Montgomery has a previous conviction for a violent crime, a 2003 armed robbery in Baltimore City.

A tax refund is always a welcome bonus. Whether its $300 or $3,000, the way you use that money can have a real impact on your personal and financial well-being. Plan ahead before spending your tax refund. Without a plan, you may use the money on the first thing that comes to mind and later realize something else was more important. Try to think about all your options, even ones that aren't very glamorous. Planning ahead and involving the family increases the chances you will identify all the possibilities and think about which are most important.

A man accused of setting fire to a vacant duplex in Martinsburg last year was sentenced Monday to serve as many as 71 years in prison for the arson and a string of other crimes committed in Berkeley County about a year ago. Joshua D. Stevens, 31, was sentenced by presiding 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III after entering Alford pleas to 10 misdemeanor and felony charges, including arson, burglary, robbery, breaking and entering, and forgery...

“There is apparently a new scam going on. Someone will call and tell you in very broken English that you’ve won cash and gift cards. ... It is usually a person that you cannot understand, and you have to ask them numerous times what they are saying, and then all of a sudden they will ask you for a credit card number, which you can understand very well. It comes up on your caller ID as 0, at least it did on mine. Don’t be caught in this trap, and most of all, keep your credit card in your pocket.

— A woman accused in a string of crimes last year, including the arson of a vacant duplex in Martinsburg, was sentenced Monday in Berkeley County Circuit Court to two to 15 years in prison. Falon S. Mauck, 26, who pleaded guilty to one count of forgery of a credit card and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and no contest to breaking and entering of an automobile, also was ordered to pay more than $32,000 in restitution. The plea was part of a binding agreement accepted by presiding 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Gray Silver III, who noted Mauck had little criminal history prior to the crime spree.

A man accused of buying copper with a stolen credit card has been charged with theft and credit-card theft, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. Allen Jin Ho Young, 30, address unavailable, was charged with theft of less than $100 and credit-card theft of more than $500, according to a sheriff's office news release. Deputy Matthew Sullivan said he was called to the area of Martin L. "Marty" Snook Park in Halfway on Thursday afternoon for a report of a man cutting copper and loading it into a vehicle.

A Washington County Circuit Court judge Thursday sentenced a Williamsport woman to three years in state prison after she pleaded guilty to stealing from a blind relative. Krista Sue Hudson, 42, of 16818 Tammany Manor Road pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of less than $1,000 for using the credit card of the 86-year-old victim to buy $300 worth of gift cards at a department store and $500 in gift cards from a supermarket. She was charged in June by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

A woman accused of attempting to defraud the law firm where she worked was arraigned Wednesday on 56 felony counts of credit card fraud by Berkeley County Magistrate Sandra L. Miller. Lacy Godby, 35, of 23 East Calabash Court in Martinsburg, is accused of making $7,881 in purchases with a credit card that belonged to the Burke, Schultz, Harman & Jenkinson law firm, according to court records. The purchases between January 2009 and September 2010 included two laptop computers from Walmart, which Godby told police she then sold and/or traded for drugs, according to a complaint by West Virginia State Police Cpl. J.M. Walker.

A former American Red Cross worker facing child pornography charges waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Samuel K. Bunner, 38, of Martinsburg, is charged with 48 felony counts of knowingly possessing material visually portraying a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Bunner also was separately charged with 87 felony counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, charges that are pending in circuit court. Following Tuesday's action, the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney's office now can present state's evidence in the case  to a grand jury for possible indictment.

Credit can be a successful finance management tool. Using credit allows you flexibility in managing your spending plan to purchase goods and services when you need them, not when you have the cash on hand to pay for them. You are offered credit because you considered trustworthy and will repay your creditors within a stated period of time. Offers and availability of credit to you individually is determined by your credit score. Your credit score, generated by using information in your credit report, is designed to predict your credit risk and your credit worthiness.