Posted on 05/07/2009 5:56:31 AM PDT by Born Conservative
WILKES-BARRE – An Arkansas man who police said stole food and clothing from a family in Plains Township while secretly living in their attic pleaded guilty to several charges Tuesday.
Stanley W. Carter, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, two counts of criminal trespassing and two counts of receiving stolen property before Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Hugh Mundy.
Carter was arrested on Dec. 26 after police said he had been staying in the attic for about a week and entering the home, owned by Stacey Ferrance, by going through a hatch in the ceiling when she and her family were out.
Police said once in the home, Carter stole food, clothing and Christmas presents, including a laptop computer he used to write his own “Stanley Christmas list.”
Carter will be sentenced on the charges on July 7 at 9:30 a.m. He was ordered to pay $1,640 in restitution costs and to have no contact with the Ferrance family.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Jill Matthews prosecuted the case. Carter is represented by attorney Basil Russin.
Russin has previously said Carter had nowhere to stay at the time and was desperate.
“(Carter) is very sorry and upset it happened,” Russin said at Carter’s preliminary hearing in January. “He was very peaceful up there and kept to himself.”
Police said Carter was staying with a family in the other half of the double-block home on Wyoming Street, and was asked to leave around Dec. 19.
Ferrance said she knew something was wrong when she noticed gifts missing and found a rear door open when she arrived home from visiting family on Christmas.
While checking the hatch to her attic, accessible through her bedroom closet, Ferrance said she noticed shoe prints on the wall on Dec. 26.
When police arrived at the home, they heard footsteps, and called in the Swoyersville police canine unit to search the attic. Ferrance said Carter surrendered after hearing the dog bark.
Carter is currently awaiting charges in Arkansas of passing bad checks and failure to pay fines from a previous legal incident.
Detective Jerry Foster, of Trumann, Ark., said Carter cannot be extradited on a misdemeanor outside of Arkansas and that his office will have to wait until Carter can be returned to Arkansas to be charged with the crimes.
Pitiful. I can imagine the terror the family must have felt when they realized someone was in their home.
This kid has some real problems. He missed out on ‘self esteem’, among other things. LOL!
not clear from the article, but, these charges are all from the same crime right?
If so - how can you possibly charge someone with receiving the property they stole? The one is inherent in the other!
Strange. I had a mouse in our attic and could hear it make even the slightest twitch until I finally got the thing.
Stole it with his right hand and was caught with it in his left?
I wonder how many times the family had arguements that started like...”Hey, who drank all the milk?” or “Has anyone seen my Ipod?”
I know what you mean and once we had a ring-tailed cat and it sounded like an elephant!
In our house, it was “the Ghost”. In their house, it was Stanley.
Well...the mystery has been solved! LOL!
“You’re going to need a bigger rat trap”
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