State Prison

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A Chambersburg man involved in the assault of a convenience store clerk was sentenced Wednesday to serve a minimum of 16 months in state prison on three charges. Shawn Carbaugh, 22, of 7665 Nyesville Road, had previously pleaded no contest to two counts of simple assault and one count of theft, according to court records. Under a no contest plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but offers no defense. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Douglas Herman sentenced him to serve nine to 24 months in a state prison on one count of simple assault, one to 12 months for theft and six to 24 months on a second simple assault charge.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - One of two men who pleaded guilty in a series of armed robberies and burglaries last year was sentenced Wednesday in Franklin County Court to eight to 25 years in state prison. Matthew L. Saunders, 27, of 1907 Johnson Road, was sentenced on two counts of robbery and one count of burglary by Judge Douglas Herman. Saunders pleaded guilty to the charges Aug. 26 in exchange for charges involving another robbery and other burglaries being dismissed, according to court records.

Maryland's prison chief said this week that a reorganization of the state prison system will reduce recidivism and improve the way inmates re-enter society upon their release. Gary D. Maynard, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said Wednesday that part of the reorganization involves incarcerating prisoners in the same region where they committed their crimes. "Offenders that come into the system stay in that region, and when they re-enter they stay in that region," Maynard said in a telephone interview.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A Harrisonville, Pa., man who did not show up at his sentencing in Franklin County Court despite multiple postponements was sentenced in absentia Wednesday to serve a minimum of nine months in state prison on drug- and alcohol-related charges. Philip B. Roberts, who lived in Waynesboro, Pa., and Chambersburg at the time of the incidents, previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of driving under the influence, according to court records.

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) -- The trial of a former correctional officer charged in the beating of inmates at a state prison in Cumberland is under way. The trial of 36-year-old Richard Robinson of Cumberland began Wednesday in Allegany County Circuit Court and is expected to last four days. Robinson is the third former officer to be tried on inmate brutality charges stemming from an attack on six inmates at the maximum-security North Branch Correctional Institution in March 2008.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A Chambersburg man accused of following two women home, forcing his way inside and assaulting one of them, will spend a minimum of 46 months in state prison. As part of a no contest plea, Jeffrey Keith, 39, of 7 S. Federal St., Chambersburg, was sentenced on charges of simple assault, criminal trespass and terroristic threats earlier this month in Franklin County Court. A no contest plea means a defendant is not admitting guilt, but will offer no defense.

A person with minor injuries was taken to Meritus Medical Center on Sunday morning after a vehicle hit a utility pole in front of The Feed Bin, an agricultural supplier on Lappans Road, authorities said. The pole was broken, Maryland State Police said. The incident in front of 18642 Lappans Road was reported at 6:55 a.m. Sunday, according to Washington County Emergency Services. That stretch of Lappans Road is south of the state prison complex. - Julie E. Greene

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A Chambersburg woman who had been on probation on a charge stemming from an investigation into the 1998 death of her infant son was sentenced Wednesday to one to three years in state prison for violating probation. "I guess I didn't make an impression the last time she was in here. Well, I'm going to make an impression on her today," Franklin County Court Judge John R. Walker said before sentencing Amy E. Sheffler, 22, for violating probation on her conviction for endangering the welfare of a child.

A Hagerstown man who pleaded guilty to the 2011 stabbing of his father-in-law was sentenced Monday in Washington County Circuit Court to 15 years in state prison. Joshua Bassford, 23, formerly of 136 E. Irvin Ave., pleaded guilty in January to first-degree assault and carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure in the Aug. 24, 2011, stabbing of Frederick Wiebel Jr. at the East Irvin Avenue residence. Charges of attempted first- and second-degree murder were dismissed at the Jan. 31 plea hearing, court records show.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A man charged with sexually assaulting a woman while she slept on a friend's couch last fall was sentenced Wednesday to serve at least three years in state prison. Jason Kline, 23, of no fixed address, previously pleaded no contest to one count of sexual assault in the Nov. 10 incident, according to court records. A no contest plea means the defendant is not admitting guilt, but it will not offer any defense. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carol Van Horn ordered him to serve 36 to 77 months in state prison, have no contact with the victim, undergo DNA testing and comply with the registration requirements under Megan's Law. She gave Kline credit for 9 months and 12 days that he has served in Franklin County Prison.