Man pleads guilty to stealing from Lowe's

Like This? Click Here to Recommend

By Linwood Outlaw III -- loutlaw@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL -- A Maryland man who was accused of stealing money from the register of a local department store last year has pleaded guilty to one of two charges he was indicted on in July.

James Harrison, 51, of 6109 Sergeant Road, Hyattsville, appeared in Warren County Circuit Court for what was supposed to be a bench trial on Oct. 6. Instead, Harrison pleaded guilty to one count of grand larceny of money from Lowe's on June 28, 2008, according to online court records.

Prosecutors dropped a second charge of possession of burglary tools in connection to the incident. Harrison was sentenced to three years in prison on the grand larceny charge, with two years and six months suspended from the sentence.

Harrison's accomplice, Gwendolyn Davis, 53, of 2032 37th St., S.E., Apt. 301, Washington, was sentenced in September to five years in prison, with four years suspended, after pleading guilty to grand larceny. A possession of burglary tools charge was also dropped against Davis as part of a plea deal she reached with the commonwealth, and she was also ordered to serve three years supervised probation.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nicholas L. Manthos has said that Harrison used some sort of key to access three unattended registers while Davis tried to shield the act from surveillance cameras. Manthos said they got away with more than $400.

In other recent court matters:

* A trial date has been set for early next year for a local woman, Rebecca Ann Hall, 42, of 128 N. Royal Ave., Front Royal, who is charged with assaulting a police officer and escaping from custody in March.

Hall was indicted in September on one count each of obstruction of justice, assault and battery of a law enforcement officer, and escaping from custody without the use of force on March 27, all of which stem from an incident that began when police responded to her home after she reportedly had a confrontation with her son.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the officer, Brian Miller, Hall was "yelling and belligerent" when officers got on the scene. Miller says in the complaint that he asked Hall to calm down, but that she did not comply. She then pushed Miller aside and her right knee hit him in the thigh, the complaint states.

"If I hadn't of moved, she would have got me in the groin," Miller wrote in the complaint, adding that she was resisting arrest.

As Miller was backing up to park at the local jail, Hall somehow got the car door open and began walking toward Royal Avenue, the complaint states, before she was taken back into custody. Hall pleaded not guilty to all charges Oct. 5. She will have a jury trial Jan. 12, 2010, according to court records.

* John D. Creekmore, 49, of 210 Virginia Ave., Apt. 6, Front Royal, has pleaded not guilty to breaking and entering and drug charges stemming from separate incidents that occurred earlier this year. Creekmore pleaded not guilty on Oct. 5 to one count each of breaking and entering, in the daytime, a dwelling house belonging to Brenda Spiker on Aug. 6; distributing methadone on March 27; distributing methadone on April 3; and distributing hydromorphone on April 30. Creekmore will appear in Circuit Court for a hearing on Nov. 10.