Pair plead guilty in botched burglary

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Two of four men caught trying to break into an Austintown apartment last year pleaded guilty to four felony charges in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Judge Lou D’Apolito accepted guilty pleas to charges of robbery, burglary, tampering with evidence and grand theft from Junior Blair, 20, of Cleveland Street, and Willie Duck, 19, of Fairgreen Avenue at a hearing Tuesday.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are recommending a sentence of four years in prison for each man. Assistant Prosecutor Nick Brevetta said he would not oppose judicial release at the appropriate time as long as the two behaved themselves in prison.

Both men are free on bond until their sentencing, which will come after the adult probation authority completes a presentence investigation.

Reports said the two were arrested after police were called Aug. 11, 2016, to an apartment complex in Austintown for a report of an attempted break-in.

Blair, Duck and their two co-defendants are accused of trying to use someone’s driver’s license to try and slide between the door and the lock to get inside, but they ran when someone spotted them and called police.

They left, but came back to retrieve the driver’s license, which was when they were arrested.

For both men, the convictions are the first on their record.

The two other defendants, Hector Colon, 20, and Trell Thomas, 19, are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in May.