NORWICH – The last of two co-defendants caught in a gas station burglary pleaded guilty Friday to stealing more than $5,000 in tobacco products and cash.
The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 32-year-old parolee Robert E. Straight of Plymouth and 30-year-old Douglas J. Wilkinson of Norwich after finding them hiding in a wooded area near the scene of the crime on Aug. 15.
The men broke into a gas station and were seen leaving the store by a passing motorist, prompting a police search of the area.
Judge W. Howard Sullivan accepted plea arrangements for Straight in two separate cases last week. For the gas station break-in, Straight pleaded guilty to third degree burglary and will be sentenced to two and a half to five years in state prison as part of a plea deal with the DA’s Office.
In an unrelated case, Straight was arrested Aug. 31 and pleaded guilty to fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property after having possession of lottery tickets taken from a different convenience store in Norwich. He will be sentenced to another one and a half to three years in state prison, to run concurrent.
District Attorney Joseph McBride said Straight was a predicated felon released from state prison Aug. 10, 2010 for a previous burglary conviction.
Wilkinson admitted his role in the gas station theft in November and pleaded guilty to third degree burglary. He was sentenced to one to three years in state prison on Dec. 6.
