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Pennsylvania man gets six years in theft case plea deal
A 35-year-old Pennsylvanian, facing two counts of burglary and two counts of theft, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and was sentenced Friday morning in Putnam Superior Court.
Facing charges that could have sent him to prison for more than 14 years if convicted on all counts, Dustin C. Chiodo, of Beaver Falls, Pa., will instead serve no more time behind bars in this case as long as he complies with terms of his plea agreement.
As of Friday, Chiodo (pronounced “Chee-do”) had served 163 days in the Putnam County Jail since his arrest for burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, both Level 4 felonies, with a sentencing range of 2-12 years in prison, and Level 6 felony counts of theft and conspiracy to commit theft, punishable by 6-30 months in jail.
Judge Denny Bridges accepted Chiodo’s guilty plea and sentenced him to six years in the Indiana Department of Correction with time served as the only executed portion of the sentence.
As part of the plea agreement Chiodo also gave a videotaped clean-up statement to Prosecutor’s Office investigator David Meadows.
Defense attorney Austin Malayer noted that Chiodo had cooperated in the case and even took a polygraph relative to his involvement.
Authorities alleged that Chiodo and another man, Neil Young Cunning, 30, of Mercer, Pa., broke into a Woodland Heights home in Greencastle on June 20, stealing checks, coins, cash and a safe before reportedly cashing one of the stolen checks at the Brazil Walmart.
That same night, after being spotted acting suspiciously at a Terre Haute jewelry store, they led police on a Vigo County pursuit in which the driver, Cunning, eluded capture after letting Chiodo out of the vehicle.
The June 20 incident occurred sometime between 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Chiodo was arrested on a Putnam County warrant on Aug. 24.
Meanwhile, Cunning, apparently true to his name, eluded police in Indiana back in June but was arrested in Pennsylvania few days later on local charges and a Pennsylvania Parole hold. He reportedly has a 28-page criminal record in his home state, mostly charges of theft and burglary.
Cunning has yet to make a Putnam Superior Court appearance.
Chiodo is reportedly on probation in Pennsylvania and has a warrant out for his arrest there as well.
The two men apparently had no ties to Indiana and were traveling together when they allegedly broke into the Greencastle home.