Although he originally pleaded innocent, a local man pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple theft charges and could face more than two decades in prison.
Samuel Waine Brooks Jr., 23, was indicted Dec. 16 in the Athens County Common Pleas Court for one count of aggravated burglary, one count of robbery and one count of theft of drugs. The charges are of the first, second and fourth degrees, respectively.
According to court documents, this leaves Brooks with the possible sentence of 20 years and six months in prison during which he is not eligible for judicial release, a fine of $40,000 not including restitution and other court costs and five years of mandatory post-release control.
On Dec. 3, Brooks allegedly entered a home forcibly and attempted or threatened to cause physical harm to the resident and ran away immediately.
He attempted to steal a pill bottle containing Alprazolam, which is a schedule IV drug, according to court documents.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn did not return The Post’s request for comment by press time regarding how much of the drug that Brooks attempted to steal, whether he knew the resident and what factors influenced the severity of the sentence.
Brooks has been incarcerated in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail since Dec. 10 and has been placed on a bond of $100,000, according to the jail’s booking documents.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Suspected thief changes plea"
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