An Augusta man will serve four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary charges in a case in which a girl hiding in her room provided a descripton that led to his arrest.
Stephen Dingus, 32, was sentenced to prison Friday for class B burglary by Justice Robert Mullen, after a plea deal in which two misdemeanor charges against him were dropped.
Additional Photos
Dingus and his uncle, James Dingus, were arrested by state police in November in connection with the burglary. Police said Stephen Dingus tried to avoid arrest by jumping out of a second story window.
James Dingus’ case is scheduled for jury selection starting Friday.
According to police reports, Dingus entered the Chesterville home around 9 a.m. and then entered the bedroom where the girl was hiding. Scared by the sight of the girl, Dingus fled the house.
The girl immediately called the police and gave a description of the burglar and his car, including the license number.
A warrant was issued for Dingus’ arrest shortly after the burglary, and three days later, after investigation by state, local and county law authorities, the Dingus men were found together and arrested.
A class B burglary conviction is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.