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Plea deal in burglary case
YOUNGSTOWN
The father of a man accused in a high-profile murder in the city could spend up to 18 months behind bars for burglarizing a relative’s home.
LeeVaughn Toney, 51, of Winona Drive, appeared Thursday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Toney entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors that would reduce his prison time on the burglary charge. He pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony.
Toney could be sentenced to up to 18 months in prison. He originally was indicted on a second-degree felony burglary charge, which carries a maximum eight-year prison term.
His son, Aubrey Toney, 29, is charged in the murder of Thomas Repchic and the wounding of Repchic’s wife, Jacqueline, on the city’s South Side in September.
LeeVaughn Toney will be sentenced at a later date, but prosecutors and defense attorneys asked the judge to release him from jail on his own recognizance until his sentencing date.
Robert Bush, assistant county prosecutor, told the court Toney is on seven medications for his heart and is not a likely flight risk.
Judge Krichbaum, however, rejected the request, keeping in place Toney’s $100,000 bond. He also ordered Toney to have no contact with the victim should he make bond.
Bush said Toney may have taken the opportunity to burglarize the home of his niece shortly after his son allegedly shot the elderly couple. He said the niece’s SUV was used in the drive-by shooting, and the woman, who told authorities she had concerns about the safety of her immediate family, was placed into protective custody for a short period of time.
Bush said it was while the woman was in protective custody that LeeVaughn Toney burglarized the home. He said a gaming system, clothes, an Apple iPod, paint sprayer, two lawn mowers and household items were taken in the burglary and never recovered.
Atty. Mark Carfolo, representing Toney, said his client was present during the burglary, but he questions his participation in the crime. He said Toney decided to plead guilty to the amended charge because he was at the scene, and evidence held by prosecutors could mean a conviction on the higher-sentence felony charge.
According to police, the niece received a call from Toney asking where she was and when she would be home on the day of the burglary.
Reports say another family member went to check on the Hilton Avenue home and saw Toney, along with two other people, removing items from the house in a large, white trash bag and placing the items in a small, green car. The family member called police, and Toney was later arrested.