Jan 17, 2013 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – The West Virginia man who aided the commonwealth in its case against his accomplice in a string of burglaries from January to July 2011 in Greene County was sentenced to 2 to 10 years prison Thursday by Greene County Judge Farley Toothman.

Richard Vanpelt, 40, of Fairmont, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, criminal trespass, conspiracy to commit criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking, criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief.

Vanpelt was pulled over July 7, 2011, in Fairmont, and sheriff’s deputies noted a laptop computer, flat-screen television and other items in the vehicle’s back seat. He admitted to police the items were stolen during a break-in at a residence at 1156 Golden Oaks Road in Greene County. Vanpelt later confessed to six other burglaries that occurred while he and James David Shriver, 39, of 1006 Eastwood Drive, Fairmont, were working for a West Virginia excavating company at two job sites in Greene County.

Vanpelt testified last week in the case against Shriver in exchange for a recommended a sentence of 2 to 10 years in prison. His testimony was essential in convicting Shriver, who was found guilty by jury Monday.

Before imposing sentence, Toothman made Vanpelt revisit each of the burglaries he was involved in. As only one of the victims was present in the courtroom, Toothman referred to the others as the “virtual victims,” and asked Vanpelt to speak as if they were in the courtroom. In each case, he spoke through tears, apologizing for the emotional damages he had caused each of them, in addition to the loss of their property.

“Through the trial of your co-defendant you have heard about the human conditions you have wreaked havoc with,” Toothman said. He added the acts had resulted in necessary restitution in the tens of thousands of dollars but said he was not sure that the psychological damage Vanpelt and Shriver caused could ever be restored to the victims. He later referred to Vanpelt as a crack head who would do just about anything and everything in his “drug desperation” and then do it again and again.

Toothman told Vanpelt to not only consider the effect of his actions on his victims, but also on his wife, mother, father and young daughters. Vanpelt’s wife, Mary, took the stand to tell the court the husband and father she knew Vanpelt before he became hooked on drugs. She made no excuses for his actions, but simply said, she knew that “he is more than just what he has done.”

Vanpelt told the court he wished he could take back the harm he caused.

“It hurts me every day to think about every one of them (the victims) and I do think about every one of them every day,” Vanpelt said. “I want to make it right with my kids. I just want to do the right thing and be back with my family.”

Vanpelt said the burglaries were committed to feed his and Shriver’s drug addictions. Most stolen items were traded for crack cocaine, cocaine, pain pills or fentanyl patches, according to Vanpelt. Laptop computers, jewelry, guns, cameras awere among other valuable things stolen from the homes.

In addition to serving jail time, Vanpelt was ordered to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $10,719.34. Toothman set his total fine at $750 in deference to the large amount owed to the victims.

“I hope this sentence will begin to make order out of the chaos you created,” Toothman said. “Buddy, you have a lot to regret and I hope you don’t make me regret this.”

Toothman continued by telling Vanpelt he had to find courage, faith, resilience, resolution and reconciliation, and added, “With these words, I will conclude my sermon, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. May the grace of this gavel be the right thing for everyone.”

Vanpelt was remanded into the custody of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department for transport back to North Central Regional Jail in Greenwood, W.Va., where he is currently serving a sentence for an unrelated case. At the conclusion of that sentence, he will immediately be transported by sheriff’s deputies to SCI-Pittsburgh for classification and to serve the sentence imposed by Toothman. That sentence will run concurrent to the sentence in West Virginia and he will be given credit for time served in the Greene County case. He is eligible to receive consideration by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for the Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive program that, if accepted, would result in his early release from prison.

Shriver awaits sentencing in the Greene County Jail pending a pre-sentence investigation.