Thief sentenced to 3 years in prison
The defendant admitted break-ins at nine Trumbull County churches.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- After breaking into several churches, Dale Cantrell decided it was time to go to confession.
His penance: three years in state prison.
Cantrell, 32, of Alice Street, Masury, admitted to police a few weeks ago that he broke into churches in Hartford, Hubbard, Brookfield, Vienna, Pennsylvania and Mahoning County.
On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to breaking into nine churches in Trumbull County, three homes, a business and Brookfield High School.
Cantrell declined to comment when Judge Andrew Logan sentenced him to prison.
"He confessed to a multiple amount of offenses," said Chuck Morrow, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor. "Detectives Pete Gibb of Brookfield and Michael Begeot of Hubbard Township really did a good job on this case."
Officials in Pennsylvania and Mahoning County may file additional charges, police said.
Admitting guilt
Atty. Tony Consoldane of the Ohio Public Defender's Commission says he advised Cantrell to talk to police.
"He was arrested in November on one of the burglary charges, and police wanted to try and wrap this case up," Consoldane said. "I told him to talk to police so that we could resolve the matter."
In most of the break-ins, cash was taken, police said.
According to the bill of information, Cantrell admitted breaking into two homes in Brookfield Township in September. He admitted breaking into Masury Methodist church in Brookfield on Oct. 26, and three Hubbard Township churches: the Church of the Nazarene, Chestnut Ridge Church of God and Corner House Christian, on Oct. 28.
He admitted breaking into a home on Standard Avenue in Brookfield on Oct. 31, and he told police he broke into the Buckeye Concrete Pumping building in Brookfield on Nov. 2.
The information further states that from Nov. 8 to 12 Cantrell burglarized Brookfield United Methodist Church, Vienna United Methodist Church, Vienna Presbyterian Church, Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Vienna and Hartford Community Church.
Cantrell said he broke into Brookfield High School on Nov. 14.
Consoldane said he did not know if Cantrell had a job or why he broke into so many churches.