Suspect gets house arrest
A New Castle man was released to house arrest while awaiting trial on burglary charges following a bond hearing in Butler County Court on Monday.
County Judge William Shaffer ordered that Shawn Book, 40, be released to house arrest with electronic monitoring, pending a potential third trial against him. The previous two proceedings had ended in mistrial.
Book's attorney, Joel Hills, asked for the reduction “awaiting the Commonwealth's third swing at trial.”
Patricia McLean, first assistant district attorney, told the court that Book had no difficulty appearing when he was on electronic monitoring prior, and had no objection to him being released.
According to court records, the case has been continued to June.
Book faced trial in mid-April on charges of felony burglary and related counts following two incidents — June 24, 2015, and July 3, 2015. The two-day proceeding ended in mistrial on April 18.
Hills previously said the mistrial was a result of direct testimony from state police troopers. The mistrial was granted “for manifest necessity” after an oral motion from Hills, according to court records.
That was the second time a mistrial has been declared in the cases against Book, the first being on June 21, 2016, Hills previously said.
Hills said he expects to file a motion to have the charges dismissed with prejudice.
Book was charged alongside two others — his wife, Michelle Book, and Toni Arnold.
Police said Shawn Book allegedly broke into a Roher Road home in Worth Township on July 3, 2015, through a second-story glass door and attempted to steal medication before he was chased away when the resident reached for a gun, according to court documents.
Through the investigation, police said Arnold and the Books were identified, and Arnold admitted to a second incident, where they stole several cases of ammunition from an unoccupied home on Studebaker Road in Worth Township on June 24, 2015.
Michelle Book previously pleaded guilty to felony criminal trespass and conspiracy to commit burglary and is scheduled for sentencing on June 15. Arnold previously pleaded guilty to two counts of felony burglary and was sentenced to 18 to 60 months in state prison, according to court records.
