Second Marion man pleads guilty to Harpster burglary and robbery

Andrew Chaffin (left), of Marion, stands next to his attorney, J.C. Ratliff, in Wyandot Common Pleas Court on Thursday afternoon. Chaffin pleaded guilty to the second-degree felonies of burglary and robbery stemming from a March 19 incident.

A Marion man who burglarized a rural Harpster residence March 19 pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to burglary and robbery in Wyandot County Common Pleas Court.
By pleading guilty to the pair of second-degree felonies, Andrew R. Chaffin, 21, had a third charge of breaking and entering, a felony of the fifth degree, dropped by the state.
Both the burglary and robbery charges carry a penalty of two to eight years in prison with a maximum fine of $15,000, none of which is mandatory. The sentences may be served consecutively.
Post-release control or supervision by the Adult Parole Authority after release from prison is mandatory in the case, with a maximum term of three years.
Judge Kate Aubry read the plea agreement and ordered Chaffin to pay restitution to the victim, Timothy Althouse, in the amount of $1,000 for an insurance deductible.
The original incident took place in the 15000 block of CH 130, northeast of Harpster.
According to Sheriff Mike Hetzel at the time of the report, when Althouse returned home and pulled into his driveway, he noticed an unknown vehicle sitting there. He said Althouse memorized the license plate number, go out, observed some of his property and noticed his barn door was open, which was supposed to be closed.
“He then removed their (vehicle) keys and started to call (the sheriff’s department) when two masked men came running out of the house screaming and yelling at him,” Hetzel said at the time.
Chaffin said on Wednesday, “We broke into Mr. Althouse’s house and stole some stuff in his house. While we were in the middle of taking his stuff, he showed up at his house and he took our keys. We went out (to the driveway). Kyle tackled him and I got the keys out of his pocket and we drove off.”
After Chaffin and his accomplice fled the scene, they were stopped by the Marion post of the Ohio State Patrol on Victory Road in Marion County, northeast of Marion near U.S. 23.
Wyandot County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Frey responded to the scene and arrested Chaffin and his accomplice and transported them to the Wyandot County Jail.
A trial date has not been set but the pre-sentance investigation was ordered.

By PATRICK MASSARA
Staff writer

Posted by Daily Chief on July 27, 2012. Filed under Local News,Recent Headlines,Recent Pictures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry