YOUNGSTOWN Burglar's lawyer requests mercy

The Sebring man is an 'unsophisticated rural American' who would not do well in prison, his lawyer said.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Sebring burglar is still going to prison, despite an impassioned plea by his lawyer for mercy and probation.
Richard A. Beach, 24, of Pennsylvania Avenue, was sentenced in November to two years in prison after pleading guilty in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to charges of burglary and theft.
He broke into several homes in the Sebring area between December 2000 and July 2001, stealing firearms, jewelry and electronic equipment.
Requested mercy
His lawyer, Robert J. Rohrbaugh II, immediately filed a motion asking Judge R. Scott Krichbaum to reconsider the sentence, arguing that prison is too harsh a penalty for Beach.
"He is an unsophisticated rural American," Rohrbaugh said Monday during a hearing on the matter. "He will not do well in prison."
He said Beach's emotional and mental levels are well below normal.
Just the time Beach has spent locked up in the county jail since his plea and sentencing have devastated him and showed him the error of his ways, Rohrbaugh said.
"Hours [behind bars] are like months to him," Rohrbaugh said.
He pleaded for the judge to change the sentence and place Beach on probation.
Religious education
Beach is newly married and has a 6-month-old baby, Rohrbaugh said. He has a certificate deeming him a prayer partner in the Progressive Universal Life Church and has clergy credentials, both of which he obtained via the Internet.
Rohrbaugh said Beach intends to continue his religious education at a Bible college near Salem.
Beach "fell into the hands of evil companions" who coaxed him into committing the robberies, Rohrbaugh said.
He said Beach's lack of eloquence prohibited him from expressing his remorse at the original plea and sentencing hearing, which is largely why the judge ended up sentencing him to prison.
"What am I supposed to do, have a meeting a week with this guy or take him home for Christmas or something?" the judge asked. "I don't feel anything for him. An appeal to my heart is not going to work."
He denied the request for a modified sentence and ordered Beach taken to prison.
Rohrbaugh said the next step will be either an appeal to the 7th District Court of Appeals, or a request for shock probation, but he was not sure which avenue he will follow.
bjackson@vindy.com